One of the most delightful recent trends in video marketing; one that is more or less commonplace today, especially on social media is shoppable videos.
The revolution was pioneered way back in 2012, by the luxury brand SSENSE which launched a video featuring the big guns of the time including Iggy Azalea, Diplo, and FKi. Not only was the video entertaining for obvious reasons, but it was interactive as well; the SSENSE outfits worn by the stars could be directly purchased from the video by clicking on them.
The brand tapped into the highly potent avenue of shoppable video content during a time when the trend was unheard of. This paved the way for what would become one of the easiest ways for brands to combine the benefits of engagement with convenience to improve sales. Needless to say, it has evolved immensely now incorporating more interesting elements, and unsurprisingly, fiercer competition.
This is why our experts in video production have put together a guide for you to get started and navigate the sphere of shoppable videos to boost sales for your business.
Here is a brief first, starting with the basics.
What are shoppable videos?
A shoppable video features a brand’s products as part of its narrative. This means the video is not intended to sell the products directly; it merely showcases the products in action or use, and allows a viewer to click directly into the product page to purchase it, should they feel the need to do so. In essence, shoppable videos are dual-purpose marketing videos; they engage the audience with immersive and interactive content while also leveraging the benefit of convenience to encourage action from the viewer.
The reason why shoppable video content works so well is because it makes the experience interactive and beneficial for the viewer. It allows the user to see what the product offers when in use, piques their interest, induces them to buy it, and lets them buy it without ever leaving the video platform.
It is no wonder that video has evolved into mainstream use today.
Key features to incorporate to make effective shoppable videos for your brand
Brands that are serious about improving sales for their business and scaling sustainably are already on top of the trend of shoppable videos. Undeniably, this presents a video landscape that is highly competitive and difficult to outshine. While all shoppable videos have the common attribute of one-click purchase links for viewers to shop from, there are a few other key elements to incorporate to improve their effectiveness. These features will go a long way towards helping you stand out in the crowd and make an impact.
Coming from our experts in video production, here are some crucial features to incorporate to leverage the power of shoppable videos for your brand.
Craft the narrative of your shoppable video based on the nature of your product offering
Fashion brands conveniently showcase their products being worn by people through engaging narratives like music, dance, or other emotionally appealing content. While this is effective, the format does not apply to all industries alike. Craft your video according to what appeals to your target audience in relation to your product. For example, for complex software products, health, or wellness products testimonial videos or documentary-style narratives work better. Remember that the goal is to induce the viewer to buy the product; design your video accordingly.
Provide additional information about the product
Viewers generally need full information pertaining to a product before they proceed to buy it. Provide this information within the video; include aspects like prices, offers, and descriptions within the range of a single click to let viewers make informed decisions. Our professionals in video production always recommend providing offers and discount-related information upfront as a way to entice customers.
Induce interaction creatively
Shoppable videos are interactive by nature. To gain the cutting edge in this respect brainstorm ways to induce interaction creatively. For example, tie the action required from the viewer into the narrative of your video story, or incorporate other interactive elements like stickers and polls. These features will help improve engagement on your video, in turn enhancing its reach. It won’t be long before a customer with an intent to purchase stumbles upon it.
Optimize the video for responsiveness
Convenience forms the crux of a shoppable video experience. Hence, pay attention to all features that enhance this very attribute of your video. Optimize page load times for all devices and poor-quality networks as well, optimize orientation for a variety of mobile devices, make the transition from video to shopping cart seamless and glitch-free across platforms, etc. The slightest slack in any of these elements can reflect in the form of an unpleasant experience for the customer, leading to a loss of sure-shot sales.
Make it known that your video is shoppable upfront
In the ocean of video content available today for consumers to browse through, it is easy for them to scroll past your video too. To reduce the chance for it to happen, inform viewers upfront that your video is shoppable or interactive in creative ways. For example, power words or phrases indicating that the product can be shopped, to grab attention on the title.
Make the checkout process seamless and hassle-free
Lastly, put due thought and attention into the checkout page and make the process as smooth as possible. Eliminate glitches, loading issues, and other problems with the payment gateway to ensure that it is easy for the user to complete the purchase in seconds. Design your transition to happen within the video-viewing portal to allow the viewer to get back to their scrolling conveniently.
Brands acing the realm of shoppable videos
Here are a few retail giants leveraging the power of shoppable videos successfully. Many of these cases serve to inspire our experts in video production in their projects as well.
Sephora
The retail beauty giant furthered their already established marketing avenue of influencer tutorials with shoppable tags. They partnered with YouTube and Shopify to create a series of beauty tutorial videos, where instead of listing products used in the video down in the description, the content creator could create clickable tags for users to directly purchase.
Reason for success: The system eliminated several hassles that came with conventional beauty tutorials such as hunting down the exact products used in the video, guessing the shades of the products, adding couples manually, etc. making it super-convenient for buyers.
Puma
Puma was one of the first few sportswear brands to tap into the “shop while you watch” trend. The brand released a smoothly shot video featuring the English football player Adam Lallana, where he casually talked about the brand’s most recent collection. The video included clickable annotation marks that viewers could use to know more about the products Lallana was wearing. With this video, Puma was apparently able to increase conversions by 6.9%.
Reason for success: The video featured a star who optimally aligned with Puma’s brand identity, making its products more desirable to consumers. The video used convenience and a sense of thrill in providing more information about its products while watching them in action in real-time.
Wrapping up
Shoppable videos have revolutionized the entire realm of online shopping, transforming it from static experiences to full-blown interactive delights. By combining the benefits of convenient shopping and immersive visuals, shoppable videos continue to help brands increase sales while creating solid positive experiences for customers. These tools will undoubtedly serve marketers for many more years to come.
Follow the above-mentioned best practices to leverage the power of shoppable videos for your company. Seek inspiration from the brand stories as well and reach out to our team at K3 Video Production, for Headshot Photographer to create your success story with a shoppable video.
Contact K3video Production for dedicated, thoughtful, and captivating animated sales videos.
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