Want to increase your e-commerce sales without much effort? Dive into the transformative power of video content, uncovering the secrets and best practices to skyrocket your conversion rates.
Imagine this:
A year ago, you launched a website, complete with a store, numerous product pages, and even a blog.
Over time, you saw your site sessions increase, you saw growth in your social media following, and you received positive feedback from customers happy with their purchases.
But, even so, your sales are somehow flat.
Sure, you’re happy to make any sale, but to remain competitive and stay afloat, you need to see your sales grow over time. And, realistically, you don’t have time or money to invest in a major marketing initiative.
What can you do?
If you want one quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to help boost the performance of your ecommerce pages, video could be your answer.
Creating a brand video or commercial was once an expensive, complicated task that only major companies could afford.
But now, thanks to the popularity of video content, it’s easier than ever to strategize, script, film, edit, and publish your video.
The best part?
Video has been proven to help increase conversion rates, engagement rates, and more. Take a look at these surprising video statistics:
- 62% of consumers watch product review videos before making a purchase.
- 84% of consumers surveyed were convinced to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video.
- 97% of video marketers reported that video increased user understanding of a product or service, and 76% reported video helped them increase sales.
- Including a video on your landing page can increase conversions by more than 80%.
- 56% of consumers believe that a company should have video content on its website.
Video content is king in this era. If you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re missing out in a big way.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Keep reading to find out not only how video can help increase your ecommerce conversions, but which type of videos you need and where they work best.
Key Takeaways on Product Video Conversion Rates for E-commerce
- Video content significantly increases e-commerce conversion rates by engaging customers more effectively than other types of content.
- Product videos build consumer trust by showcasing products in action, answering potential questions, and reducing purchase hesitation.
- Diversifying video types, including how-to tutorials, educational content, and customer testimonials, can address different stages of the customer journey.
- Videos are shared extensively on social media, amplifying word-of-mouth marketing and trust in your brand.
- Implementing video content doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes.
What is a Product Video?
Before getting started – let’s define what a product video actually is.
A product video is a video that highlights your product’s features and shows it in action. Product videos help business owners easily showcase what a product can do, and are actually the preferred way for your potential customers to learn more about your product.
They’re especially useful when there isn’t a showroom or brick-and-mortar store where they can see the product in person.
There are different types of videos you can use throughout your entire website (more on that below.) But product videos are the videos that most directly correspond to ecommerce sales.
Since these are typically published on your ecommerce or store pages, they affect users who are in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey. They’re ready to buy and they just need that final convincing factor that’ll help them close.
Here’s an example:
5 Ways Video Helps Increase E-commerce Conversion Rates
Why exactly do videos help increase conversion rates? It has a lot to do with consumer psychology. Let’s take a look at some of the specific reasons video resonates so strongly with users and how they can help you boost sales.
1. Consumers Engage More with Video Content
Video is both auditory and visual in nature, grabbing our attention in more ways than any other type of content can. It also allows us to tell a more complete story, building a narrative, building emotion, and provoking action more effectively.
Because video is the catch-all for every other type of content, including text and infographics, photographs, voiceovers, and more, video can engage us like nothing else can.
Its movement stops us in our tracks and keeps our fingers from scrolling past. That’s why it’s crucial to make your video captivating, so those first few seconds hook in your viewer.
2. Product Videos Boost Consumer Trust in e-commerce Companies
Be honest – sometimes you don’t buy an item because you’re not sure you’ll get exactly what you’re promised. What if the color is different?
What if sizing is different?
It’s easy to say a product can do something, but saying it alone isn’t much proof. That’s where video comes in!
Video provides the proof online shoppers need to seal the deal. When you show a product in action, users can more easily imagine themselves using that product.
And if you do this enough times, with enough videos and enough products, you’ll build credibility and trust over time.
Pro Tip: Using different types of videos outside of just your ecommerce pages also helps you build trust. Videos about your company help communicate your brand values, recruitment videos help humanize your company and your office, even social videos can show a lighter side to your company, building engagement and a more personal connection to your brand.
3. Informational Videos Help Answer User Questions
Have you watched a make-up tutorial recently? Or looked up the instructions on how to play a game? What about a video showing how to connect your voice-enabled assistant to the rest of your smart devices?
Getting the answers to these questions before purchase can make all the difference, especially when the answers can be found right on a product’s check-out page.
A product video done right will answer questions the user already had, and some they hadn’t even thought of – the types of questions that can consciously or subconsciously keep them from converting.
Everything from product specifications, how it works, integrations, and more can be addressed using video, easing some of that user worry and anxiety about your product not meeting their expectations.
4. Video Provides a Better Omnichannel Experience
You moved to a new town and you’re looking for a fitness center you can go to regularly that’s affordable and close to home. As you’re researching, you stumble on a 15-second ad for a local gym.
You decide to look into it a little further. On their website, they’ve got a brand video that tells you more about their mission and their dedication to their customers.
You love it – but you’re not totally convinced yet. You head to their programs page to see what else you can find. There, you find a video outlining exactly what happens the moment you sign up for service.
This is the magic of video. With video, you can guide the customer experience from start to finish on every digital channel your prospective customers might use to find you.
Social media, email, website content, and more – according to Megastore, 73% of buyers shop across multiple channels. That means it’s essential for you to be everywhere you can be, facilitating the gathering of information and the purchase process.
Nothing helps you do that better than video, which users overwhelmingly prefer.
5. Video is Shared More Often than Any Other Content
Even in this digital age, word of mouth still reigns supreme. Positive reviews are crucial to garnering more sales, even if that positive review comes in the form of a social video share.
And since videos are shared 1200% more times on social media than links and text combined, video is quickly becoming a marketing cornerstone for companies of all sizes.
In addition, over 80% of consumers say they trust the recommendations of family and friends, so you can bet a social video share can increase your conversions over time.
Video Conversion Rate: Maximizing Impact
The video conversion rate is a critical metric that measures the effectiveness of video content in encouraging viewers to take a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a guide.
This rate is essential for assessing the ROI of video marketing efforts and for understanding how well your video content resonates with your target audience.
Strategies for Enhancing Video Conversion Rates
- Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Ensure each video includes a strong, clear CTA that guides viewers on what to do next. Whether it’s visiting a website, making a purchase, or another action, your CTA should be straightforward and compelling.
- Optimize Video Placement: The location of your video on your website can significantly impact its conversion rate. Test different placements to find the most effective spot, considering embedding videos on landing pages, product pages, or even in checkout processes to reduce cart abandonment.
- Tailor Content to Buyer’s Journey: Different videos should cater to consumers at various stages of their journey. Use educational videos for awareness, detailed product demos for consideration, and strong testimonial videos for the decision stage to push viewers towards conversion.
- Focus on Quality and Relevance: High-quality, relevant video content is more likely to engage viewers and encourage conversions. Invest in good production values and ensure your videos address your audience’s needs and interests.
- Use A/B Testing: Experiment with different elements of your video content, including the CTA, video length, messaging, and even thumbnail images, to see what works best for your audience and maximizes conversions.
- Leverage Social Proof: Incorporate customer testimonials and case studies within your video content. Social proof can significantly increase trust and persuade potential customers to take the plunge.
- Monitor and Analyze Performance: Use analytics tools to track how viewers interact with your videos. Look at metrics like watch time, click-through rate, and conversion rate to identify what’s working and what’s not. This data will guide you in optimizing future video content for better performance.
4 Types of Videos that Will Increase Conversion Rates (Besides Product Videos)
We’ve already talked in detail about the effectiveness of product videos, but there are tons of other types of video you can use to help increase your ecommerce conversion rates.
Depending where on your site these videos live, they can have a huge direct or indirect impact on your sales numbers.
Just remember: testing is critical!
Always measure the effect any website changes are having on your bottom line, so you can see exactly what’s making the difference.
Now let’s take a quick look at a few different video styles that can increase your conversion rates.
1. How-To or Tutorial Video
This is one of the most straightforward types of video and can cover just about everything, including more generic how-to information about your industry, to more specific topics, like how to use your product.
Remember to keep it visual – close-ups and step-by-step instructions provide the answers a user may be looking for before committing to a purchase. Make your how-to or tutorial video clear and easy to understand.
2. Educational Video
Can what you do be summed up in a sentence or less? A lot of industries provide solutions to complicated or complex problems, and explaining exactly what those problems are or how you fix them can be tough. That’s where educational videos can help.
Posted on your blog or on your about page, educational videos inform consumers about your industry or certain aspects of it.
They do just what their name implies – they educate!
These videos won’t help convert users who are already on your product page; instead, save these videos for other areas of your site, where they’ll provide the information needed to move users down the marketing funnel, nurturing a sale over a longer period.
3. Customer Testimonial
Testimonials are one of the strongest types of videos you can make.
They give your brand credibility, and because people trust the opinion of other people so strongly, it’s the closest thing to a personal recommendation out there.
90% of consumers say their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews, so think of this as the most visual and engaging review you can create.
Gathering online recommendations is one of the final pre-purchase steps, so create a moving video, post it on your website, (yes, testimonials actually do a great job on your ecommerce pages), and share it far and wide for best results.
4. Interactive Video Content
Interactive video content is transforming the way brands connect with their audience, offering a dynamic and immersive shopping experience.
By integrating features such as clickable links, quizzes, and shoppable items directly within the video, businesses can significantly increase engagement and directly drive sales.
These videos not only captivate viewers but also provide them with the convenience of learning about and purchasing products without ever leaving the video interface, leading to higher retention rates and a more memorable brand experience.
The Most Common Challenges and Solutions of Video Content
Video is not all fun and games. Sometimes there will be challenges, depending on your business needs and ideas.
Let’s explore some of the most common ones and how to fix them:
Challenge 1: Budget Constraints Creating high-quality video content can seem financially daunting for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited budgets.
Solution: Leverage cost-effective tools and platforms that offer free or low-cost video editing software. Embrace user-generated content or customer testimonials, which require minimal investment but offer authentic engagement. Additionally, consider short, impactful videos that can be produced with smartphones but are carefully planned to ensure professionalism.
Challenge 2: Creative Block Finding innovative ideas for video content that truly engages your target audience can be challenging.
Solution: Seek inspiration from your audience. Utilize social media polls, customer feedback, and market research to understand their interests and pain points. Collaborating with influencers or industry experts can also provide fresh perspectives and content ideas.
Challenge 3: Technical Complexities The technical aspects of video production, including filming, editing, and publishing, can be overwhelming, especially for those without prior experience.
Solution: Start with basic training resources available online to grasp video editing essentials. Consider hiring freelancers or using internships for video production tasks. As you grow, investing in professional equipment and software can be gradually introduced to enhance video quality.
Challenge 4: SEO Optimization Understanding and implementing video SEO can be perplexing, especially with constantly evolving algorithms and best practices.
Solution: Focus on mastering a few key SEO strategies, such as keyword optimization in titles and descriptions, leveraging video transcripts, and creating engaging thumbnails. Regularly update your knowledge on SEO trends and consider using SEO tools specifically designed for video content.
Challenge 5: Measuring ROI Determining the return on investment (ROI) for video marketing efforts can be difficult, making it hard to justify the spend or guide future strategies.
Solution: Utilize analytics tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as views, engagement rates, conversion rates, and social shares. Set clear objectives before launching video campaigns and use data to assess performance and adjust strategies accordingly.
By acknowledging these challenges and implementing the outlined solutions, businesses can more effectively leverage video content to enhance their e-commerce conversion rates, regardless of the obstacles they may encounter.
Video SEO Best Practices
Optimizing your video content for search engines is crucial to ensure it reaches your target audience.
Here are 7 best practices that can increase your visibility in the search engine, even if you’re not fully focused on your Video SEO efforts:
1. Use Relevant Keywords: Start by weaving relevant keywords into your video titles, descriptions, and tags. This step is paramount for enhancing your video’s discoverability on search engines.
2. Host Videos on Your Own Domain: To maximize the SEO benefits, host your videos on your own site before sharing them on social platforms. This strategy directs viewers to your domain, boosting website traffic.
3. Create Compelling Thumbnails: A captivating thumbnail can dramatically increase your video’s click-through rate. Choose an image that accurately represents the video content and entices potential viewers.
4. Add Transcripts: Including a transcript not only makes your video accessible to a broader audience but also improves indexability by search engines, enriching your content’s SEO.
5. Implement Video Sitemaps: Use video sitemaps to provide search engines with more information about the video content on your site, ensuring it is crawled and indexed correctly.
6. Engage Viewers Quickly: The first 15 seconds are crucial. Craft an engaging start to your video to keep viewers watching, as higher engagement rates can positively impact your video’s search ranking.
7. Leverage Social Sharing: Encourage viewers to share your videos on social media. Social signals can indirectly enhance your video’s search rankings by increasing its visibility and traffic.
Final Thoughts
So you know you need video content, but you’re not sure how to get started.
Whether you hire the right professionals in-house, or look for the perfect video production company to create amazing video content for you, there’s no question that your business needs video.
Start strategizing your video plan now – you’ll want to think about your video goals, your budget, where you’ll distribute your video, how you’ll measure its success, and more.
Once you have all these aligned, the only thing left to do is to actually create it – and that’s the most fun part of all(aside from the increased e-commerce conversion rate you will get from it, of course!).