Imagine you’re working in retail. You’re a salesperson at a sporting goods store. On an average day, you see hundreds of different shoppers: those who came with a specific sneaker model or brand in mind ready to buy, those who hunt for special prices and offers, those who came to browse and kill time… Then some shoppers know they’d like to buy a specific product, say, a running shoe, but are uncertain of the brand, model, or features that would work for them. You know how to spot this kind of reluctant shopper.
They look at the shelves, pick up a few sneakers, and examine them from all angles, trying to make sense of the difference between dozens of options available at your store. They greet you with relief when you approach them and offer help. Better yet, they often walk out of the store with a shopping bag in hand because you shared a few tips from your own experience and helped them make the right choice. The customer is happy, you feel good about the sale, and the overall experience is excellent.
How do you replicate this online?
While you can’t bring your best salesperson to your online store, you can offer rich content to help online shoppers visualize your products better and help them fill out any information holes that stand on the way to conversion. E-commerce product videos are some of the best ways to deliver information in an attractive and concise format that is also engaging and contributes to a great experience. 73% of consumers admit they are likely to buy a product after watching videos that explain how it works and 44% say they would buy multiple products from an e-commerce website that features product videos.
So, what types of e-commerce videos work best to drive sales? Here’s a breakdown of the eight types of videos that help increase conversions.
Product review videos are probably one of the most sought-after types of e-commerce videos, the closest you’ll have to a virtual salesperson in your online store. According to results from visual commerce platform Goodvidio, e-commerce sites featuring product review e-commerce videos like the example below see an increase in “add-to-cart” conversion rate of 74%, and shoppers stay on the site 340% longer and engage with 127% more pages.
Product e-commerce review videos come in many forms, from those created by brands, experts and influencers to videos created by retailers or regular consumers, in which they talk about their experiences using a product. A good product review video talks not only about product features but helps viewers visualize how the product works, looks, and feels in real life.
The ultimate criterion of a successful product review e-commerce videos is that it helps answer all the common questions a typical shopper would have about a product (remember that reluctant shopper from the beginning of the story) and would leave them ready and confident to place an order.
Explainer videos are great if customers need help to understand your product or service. This video includes customer journey explanations, your primary products, and most importantly, why customers need them and how they make their life easier. Unlike product demo e-commerce videos, you don’t highlight your products’ features but explain your products and customers’ buying process.
For many e-commerce websites, explainer e-commerce videos are animated and are at most one minute or so. Animated videos are an excellent way to combine your brand’s authenticity, uniqueness, and values in a video. Consider creating a few versions of this type of video since it takes less time to make.
Another powerful way to get shoppers to click the “buy now” button is with unboxing e-commerce videos. If you need to familiarize yourself with the concept, these videos are about unwrapping the new purchases and showing what the product looks like when it arrives at a shopper’s doorstep.
The curiosity for this type of e-commerce videos is so huge among shoppers, that Google reported over 20 million searches for unboxing videos on YouTube in 2014 alone. Why do they work? Because they allow the shoppers to see all those details typically unknown when buying online (i.e. How protected is the product in the packaging? Does it come with any extra items for care and maintenance? Is the manual shipped as well? etc). The more information shoppers can see, the closer you bring them to conversion.
The key to a good unboxing video is to make it look authentic (don’t be afraid of showing the packaging, the wrapping paper and busting out a pair of scissors for unpacking, like in the example above!), so that viewers can relate to it and easily imagine themselves doing the same thing with a new purchase at home. Good news is, just like review videos, unboxing videos are very popular on social media like YouTube, so you won’t have trouble finding the content for your products.
How-to videos are an excellent opportunity to explain the products’ features to the customers. They are in-depth versions longer than unboxing or product review videos. These videos demonstrate how an item works. If you are selling cosmetic products, you can create videos that explain how to apply these products.
How-to e-commerce videos help shoppers to imagine themselves using these products and how they would benefit them. It can be impactful for new customers to attract them at first glance. These videos can become corner store video content for your primary products, and you can create some for your most selling or products you want to highlight more.
Product comparison e-commerce videos are less known but highly effective at converting shoppers in e-commerce. As the name suggests, these videos provide side-by-side comparisons of two or more products in the same category, usually with similar features and specs, to allow shoppers to see the minor differences and details that make each product unique and suitable for different uses and needs. Sometimes, a short video like this is all shoppers need to convert and be convinced they’re making the right choice.
Consumers and experts often make these videos (like the example above). However, you can find a fair share of professional comparison videos retailers make to help shoppers navigate various site options. Comparison videos are viral for beauty, accessories, consumer electronics, gadgets, and sporting goods products.
User-generated content plays an essential part in visual commerce. 82% of shoppers say user-generated content is precious when deciding on purchases. Videos created and shared by regular shoppers in which they demonstrate products, show how to use them. Talk about their experiences are incredibly effective in converting shoppers. Shoppers love them because these videos offer social proof that others like them have bought and enjoyed the product.
Some of the most common types of user-generated videos in e-commerce are product reviews and unboxing videos. However, haul videos, “first impressions,” “empties,” and “tag” videos are also very popular among consumers on social media. According to a Comscore study, brand engagement rises 28% when consumers are exposed to both brand and user-generated video content. Consider adding some of these videos into the mix on your product pages, like the example above.
You can repurpose your Frequently Asked Section to more engaging and fun e-commerce video content. Because, now more than ever, transparency matters. You can address your customers’ possible concerns and hesitations by explaining what your brand does in that situation. This can increase trust in your brand and let them turn into loyal customers in the long run.
Sharing e-commerce video to answer your customer’s most-asked questions will show you how much you care about your customers. After creating this e-commerce video type, you can update it if you get different customer questions. Therefore, you can keep that content up-to-date, which is always good.
Last but not least, e-commerce store owners have the option of sourcing product videos directly from brands. Here, it’s essential to remember that classic video advertisement content will likely be of little value to online shoppers. Because they have already seen it elsewhere before landing on your product pages. What would help with conversions is brand-made detailed product demos, how-to, and review videos. These videos discuss the product with in-depth expertise and highlight lesser-known features and facts.
For example, Samsung Mobile’s YouTube channel offers dozens of product e-commerce videos. From how-to content to short-form high-quality product presentation videos that draw thousands of views from curious shoppers. This content can help draw sales when added to e-commerce sites as well.
You can use multiple e-commerce videos on your store to help shoppers decide on purchases and increase conversions. The critical thing to remember is that product videos should add value to the shopping experience. Whether you decide to create your product videos or outsource this to visual commerce platforms. Always think of that customer roaming the virtual aisles of your online store. Customers expect a human approach to online shopping and rich content in exchange for their share of wallet.
E-commerce videos can definitely act as conversion boosters for your shop.