In today’s digital age, video has become one of the most powerful tools for marketing and advertising. With the rise of e-commerce, brands are looking for new ways to make their videos more engaging and interactive, and shoppable videos have emerged as a popular, effective and profitable solution. But what exactly are shoppable videos, and how can they help brands and retailers drive sales?
What Are Shoppable Videos?
Shoppable videos are a type of video content that allows viewers to shop directly from the video quickly, easily and conveniently. By integrating shoppable videos directly onto a retailer’s existing ecommerce sites, retailers are providing a personalized, interactive way for shoppers to obtain invaluable information increasing engagement and conversion. Shoppable videos can be used for a wide range of products, from fashion and beauty to home goods and electronics and can be easily incorporated into tutorial, training, demo, product, and upsell/cross-sell videos. Most importantly, shoppable videos empower retailers and brands to leverage the age of content driven commerce by creating content that educates, informs, and entertains customers instead of forcing them to read pages and pages of text. Shoppable video is a form of “shoppertainment” and has been proven to boost engagement, conversion, loyalty, and sales.
How Do Shoppable Videos Work?
There are a few different ways to create shoppable video content, but the basic idea is to expand the reach and impact of your videos by making them shoppable. Some retailers and brands choose to convert their existing library of videos thus reducing the cost of creating a shoppable video and maximizing return on investment. Others choose to create shoppable videos from scratch focusing more on content specifically created to entertain and facilitate shopping. Retailers and brands can use specialized video platforms or tools to create shoppable videos. Some platforms run as an extension of the underlying ecommerce platform which means the shoppable video doesn’t need to be “preloaded” with products or modified with hyperlinks and means that viewers can add products to their carts directly from the video without ever stopping or leaving the video. Other platforms enable retailers to add product information, links, and calls to action within the video. When a viewer clicks on a rendered product, a link or a hotspot, they will either be taken to a specific page, like a product page, on the retailer’s or brand’s website.
Benefits of Shoppable Videos
Shoppable videos offer a range of benefits for brands, including:
Increased Engagement:
Shoppable videos can be more engaging than traditional videos, as they allow viewers to interact with the products they see on screen. This can increase the amount of time viewers spend watching the video, as well as their level of engagement with the brand. Research has shown that video increases engagement so it’s no surprise to learn that viewers spend 47% longer watching interactive videos and that around 40% of viewers add products to their carts because of a shoppable video. In fact, in January of 2023 it was reported that video accounted for 65% of all internet traffic and recent reports claim that figure might be as high as 85% as we near the end of 2023. Regardless of the statistic, next time you’re around other people, note how many are “watching versus reading” online-content.
Improved Conversion Rates:
By enabling viewers to purchase products directly from the video, brands can reduce the number of steps in the purchasing process, which can lead to higher conversion rates. Additionally, shoppable videos can help to reduce shopping cart abandonment, as viewers can complete the purchase without having to leave the video player. Plus nearly 80% of people surveyed stated that videos give them more confidence when purchasing (Wyzowl) and DemandSage reports that 88% of respondents claim that seeing a video influenced them to purchase a product or service.
Better Analytics:
Shoppable videos can provide brands with more detailed analytics on viewer behavior, such as which products are the most popular, and how long viewers spend interacting with the video. This can help brands optimize their video content and marketing strategies for better results. It also can provide information about which items were added to the cart during a shoppable video and on the effect of upsell/cross-sell, shoppable videos on product landing pages.
Enhanced Customer Experience:
Shoppable videos can provide a seamless and intuitive shopping experience for viewers, which can enhance the overall customer experience. By providing a more convenient and engaging shopping experience, brands can build stronger relationships with their customers and increase brand loyalty. In fact, Wyzowl reports that 69% of consumes believe product demos best assist them when making a purchase decision. They further report that the best videos are product, testimonial, and explainer videos with product videos being the overwhelming favorite.
Shoppable Video Examples
There are many examples of brands successfully using shoppable videos to drive sales. However, most recently, WalMart took shoppable video to a new level of “shoppertainment” with Add To Heart, a holiday, multi-episode, shoppable video that has been aptly described as “romcommerce.” Viewers are treated to holiday themed romcom that allows viewers to purchase many of the products they see on the screen. Thankfully, you don’t have to be WalMart or employ a professional studio capable of producing romcoms to leverage the benefits of shoppable video. In fact, you don’t have to produce new video content or use professional actors; sometimes it’s best to leverage your existing library of videos or to call on your loyal legions of video savvy distributors. Here’s an example of how L’BRI Pure N’ Natural uses shoppable videos: Shop Age-Defying Products. What’s unique about L’BRI is that their videos are aligned to their Believably Real brand image and created in partnership with their Consultants. As you can see, the idea is to create engaging, informative, entertaining content in a format that your customers are increasingly favoring – video!
Shoppable Videos – Best Practices
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when leveraging shoppable video:
Seamless Integration:
Whenever possible, make sure you seamlessly integrate your shoppable videos with your existing ecommerce platform and do not force your guests to leave or stop the video to add items to their carts.
The Video:
Quality and Creativity
Use engaging and fun videos that resonate with your target audience. The video is a substitute for an IRL (in real life) experience so voiceovers, narration or presenters really resonate with audiences. Generally, try to engage your audience from the start with a strong hook.
Quantity of Products
The optimal quantity of products is somewhere between two and five products to share in a shoppable video but two-to-three product, shoppable videos tend to engage audiences more (and not overwhelm them). Of course, you can probably get away with more products in a “romcommerce” or a tutorial video whose content naturally keeps audiences engaged longer. One of the most beneficial uses for shoppable videos can be in PDPs (product detail pages) where a shoppable video of the particular product and its complementary products can result in higher AOV. Think of it as a “video based you may also like.” And, whatever you do, make your time to first product (TTFP) short. Don’t keep your audience waiting.
Video Length
Generally, shorter is better and short form video has become more popular. But don’t think that shorter is the rule. Tutorial videos or themed videos often get away with being longer without losing engagement. We often suggest that shoppable videos be one to three minutes but we think that the sweet spot is in the 30 to 60 second range. However, we’ve seen phenomenally successful tutorial videos that last over 10 minutes with high retention rates so don’t dismiss the opportunity to sell with your longer content.
The Products:
Don’t forget, don’t keep your audience waiting and keep your TTFP short. Make sure you highlight the products you’re wishing to sell and let your shots run longer on the shoppable product. If you have more than one product, don’t blast through every product. Give each product their proper “seconds of fame.” And finally, try to use full frame shots not shots that are abstracted or too close-up. In other words, let them see and fall in love with what you want them to buy!
The Takeaway:
Shoppable videos are an exciting new tool for brands looking to engage with their customers and drive sales. By enabling viewers to shop directly from the video, brands can provide a more engaging and convenient shopping experience, while also gathering valuable analytics and insights. As the e-commerce industry continues to grow, we can expect to see more brands experimenting with shoppable videos to take advantage of this innovative new format. And yes, “continues to grow” is an accurate statement about ecommerce. Surprising as it may seem, ecommerce accounts for less than 20% of total global retail sales but its share has been increasing as retailers and brands leverage different technologies to make the online experience more interactive and more human.