Online shopping today is nothing like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's more like searching through a million-needle haystack for one that catches the eye. It's a fierce battle of the brands: Who will stand out? And how? One answer to the latter: video content.
To put it simply, if you're trying to compete with a video-free digital presence, your brand is going to be, well, more like hay than a shiny, 1-in-a-million needle.
So, here, we dig into the why, what, how, and where of ecommerce video content: Why consumers are drawn towards it, how it brings massive value to your brand, and what types of video to leverage on your site (and where) to cash in on those mega-benefits.
Video Content: The Consumers' Perspective
Why is video both wanted by and working for your audience? Let's look at it from the shoppers' point of view before we get into what it achieves for your digital brand presence and success...
Favorite Digital Content
Of all the hours adults in the US spend on social media every day, video content owns nearly 51% of that time (SproutSocial). And not only is it being largely consumed by individuals, but people are also 52% more likely to share video content than any other kinds (Hubspot). I bet you wouldn't have to scroll far in your text messages to find the last message – sent or received – with a video. Mine? 8:57am this morning.
Product Knowledge
Consumers gravitate toward video content because it encapsulates so much more information – everything from a brand narrative to product knowledge. 68% of consumers prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a concise video (Business Dasher). It's faster, easier, and arguably just more fun than reading – no shade to the bookworm community!
Seeking Connections & Inspiration
It’s not just video's qualitative information-relaying efficiency, but also its qualitative content. With the right creative direction, video has the power to evoke moods, aspirations, emotional resonance, and influence. In fact, over 60% of online shoppers say videos have given them ideas or inspiration for their purchase (Think With Google).
Trust is Earned, Not Given
Videos give consumers the chance to peek behind-the-scenes. Whether it's seeing the team and story behind a brand, how a product is made or used, or customer testimonials, video content offers a warm welcome, an insider perspective, and can squash any suspicion of smoke-and-mirrors.
The Heart Wants What it Wants
The hunger for more video content hasn’t plateaued, as this stat makes clear as day: in 2024, 89% of consumers report they indeed want to see more video content from brands (Hubspot). This video thing is no trend, folks; better get on board.
Video Content: The ROI for Ecommerce Brands
So, the people have spoken: it’s video content they want. But what’s in it for your team and the digital brand you’re fueling? Wyzowl surveyed your ecommerce marketing peers; here’s what they said alongside some other can’t-ignore stats...
Expand Brand Awareness
A survey outlined by PR Newswire found that video ads were the #1 way consumers discovered brands they later purchased from. So, no surprise that 90% of ecommerce marketers reported that video content has elevated brand awareness.
Increase Site Traffic
86% of marketers say videos have increased their site traffic and considering Cisco projects video content will account for 82% of all online consumer traffic by 2025, we’d say brands would be wise to gun for a piece of that juicy traffic pie.
Boost SEO Rankings
Video content is a powerful asset for SEO. Pages with video are more likely to appear on the first page of Google, with video-rich pages up to 53x more likely to rank than text-only pages (Forrester). By strategically incorporating keywords in titles, descriptions, and captions, videos enhance SEO without disrupting the user experience. Additionally, demos and how-to videos attract high-intent traffic, driving organic search visibility on both search and social media platforms.
Harness Engagement
82% of ecommerce marketers observed an uptick in time on page (aka dwell time) and reduced bounce rates. And that engagement has a viral effect with social media platforms reporting that video content produces 1200% more shares than text- and image-based content combined (Shoot Business).
Improve Lead Generation
87% of marketers report that video content has boosted lead generation. With humans being better able to retain and recall video than text – Forbes reported that 80% of consumers easily remember videos watched in the last month – it’s video content that will leave an imprint and keep your brand top-of-mind.
Drive Conversions
87% of marketers note that video content is directly responsible for an increase in sales. That observation aligns with other stats like videos driving a 51% increase in purchase likelihood, ability to raise landing page conversion by as much as 80% (Unbounce), or 93% of businesses gaining a new customer after posting a video on social media (PR Newswire).
Reduce Support Queries
66% of marketers cite video content as the reason for fewer support questions and queries. We live in a fast-paced and increasingly self-serve world where customers want the option to reach out for help, but would rather not need it. Your videos help them help themselves.
Reaping the Benefits: Effective Types of Video Content
While any kind of video content on your site will produce some of the wins above like improved engagement, traffic, and SEO, there are specific types of videos and tactics your brand can leverage to directly target certain benefits. Take a look...
Shoppable Videos
Benefits: Improves traffic, engagement, SEO • Drives product knowledge, inspiration, conversions, seamless UX
Shoppable content means frictionless shopping at its finest. It allows consumers to buy products directly from the image or video and brands report it drives up to 30% more conversions (The Drum). Hotspots within the video, when clicked, open a quickview of the product along with add-to-cart functionality. Not only can videos show off your products in a more engaging way, but making them shoppable herds customers along a shortened path to purchase.
Bonus Tip: Your quickview content and design is crucial and can make or break what's meant to be a smooth journey from product discovery to purchase. Explore quickview-building essentials here.
Explainer Videos and FAQs
Benefits: Increased traffic, engagement, SEO • Improved product knowledge, inspiration, conversions • Reduced support queries
Explainer and FAQ videos provide clear answers to common questions, reducing pressure on customer service teams and improving customer satisfaction. These videos are especially helpful for products that require more explanation or demonstrate unique functionality.
Bonus Tip: This content is especially impactful for top-of-funnel marketing and, in video format, explainers are more likely to retain attention while conveying far more information than long-form copy.
Testimonials and User-Generated Content
Benefits: Increased traffic, engagement, SEO • Improved credibility, trust, product knowledge, conversions • Reduced support queries
User-generated content (UGC) and testimonials significantly impact purchasing decisions as showcasing real customer experiences builds trust with potential buyers. 93% of marketers say UGC outperforms traditional content (Backlinko), and 60% of consumers consider it the most authentic form of marketing (Ecommerce Insights).
Bonus tip: Leverage user-generated video content on social media, product detail pages (PDPs), product listing pages (PLPs), landing pages, in marketing emails, you name it...
Product Demos and How-To Videos
Benefits: Increased traffic, engagement, SEO • Improved product knowledge, inspiration, conversions • Reduced support queries
Product demos and how-tos reduce purchase hesitation, particularly for high-ticket items. Demos help customers see products in action and better understand features which also answers questions they might otherwise seek through customer support.
Bonus Tip: To better convey the important information written in your product descriptions, try including concise demo videos on your PDPs – even right in with your product images where it won't be overlooked.
Lights! Camera! Action!
The verdict is in: video content is essential to your brand's audience, presence, and growth. Case closed. But if you think what's now opened is a whole new can of worms – the difficult task of actually implementing video content – you're not alone.
The UrbanStems team felt the same, but are now reaping the rewards of video on their site. Hear the brand's Content Director unearth what they did, how they did it, and how it's changed their ecommerce strategy and success.
Don't hit pause on tactics like video content that will give your brand a competitive edge. Arm yourself with a weapon like Fastr Frontend and press play on developer-free site design, control, and optimization.