Why Video is the Next Big Thing in Ecommerce, and How to Harness Its Power
Videos help ecommerce businesses gain credibility, increase traffic and get more market share.
By John Murphy •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Ecommerce store owners are always looking for ways to improve the customer experience. With the customer not being able to touch and feel the product, businesses are getting more creative. First, there was a product listing with detailed specs of the product. Then images quickly became an improvement. Now, there's video.
There's a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what is a video worth?
Why video is so powerful
While a bunch of images from different angles are helpful, a video can give perspective. Video provides a deeper understanding of a product's real world application, as customers can actually view someone using the product.
Shoppers now use Youtube to perform searches for reviews and testimonials during their research, especially when the product they are considering is a big investment. In 2020, Google decided to include Youtube videos in its organic search results. With the inclusion of videos appearing when someone searches for product information online, you can get visitors to your website from your videos.
Alternative benefits from having videos
Videos can be used in marketing efforts in many ways. For example, if a customer is viewing a product on your website, you can then retarget them on platforms like Facebook by playing the video of a customer testimonial for that very product right in their feed.
You can also use videos in Facebook ads or use them in your email marketing. Imagine if a customer was in the process of making a purchase on your website, and at the last moment abandoned checkout. You could have emails automated that go out shortly after with video reviews from your earlier customers describing how your product changed their life. Wouldn't that be powerful?
Related: 5 Reasons Why You Need Video in Your Marketing Strategy (With the Stats to Prove It)
Where to start
If you sell your own products, it's pretty simple. You can make videos showing how to use the product, give some products out to influencers that review them on their social channels, or even create videos on how to get the best use out of your product. The list goes on.
If you're an online reseller, you may not have the products on hand so you'll need to be a little more creative. You can contact past customers and ask them for a video testimonial. You can also visit your supplier's facility and create a walkthrough-style video where you show the behind the scenes of how the product is made — this example is also very good for credibility.
Related: 6 Ways to Strengthen Your Video Marketing Strategy
Once you have the first few videos
The next step is to upload those videos to Youtube and show people how to find your website. You can add a link in the description, then you add those videos to your marketing efforts. You can insert the videos on the pages most likely to make a difference. Even a few videos can increase the shopper experience, increase traffic from both Google and Youtube and your conversion rate from the existing shoppers.
Regularly add new and creative videos so the effects compound over time. This method will give you an edge over your competitors, and you'll get more market share in your industry. Requesting video testimonials can even become a routine you can automate. Set up an email campaign that goes out to customers after 30, 60 or 90 days after delivery, depending on how long the customer needs to be using it to be able to help you with a testimonial.
This year is the year of video. Consider adding videos to your routine and you'll look back a year from now and realize it helped generate some exciting growth.
