6 Reasons Why Your E-commerce Marketing Strategy Needs Video

There’s no denying the power of video. It encapsulates everything your consumer is looking for: brevity, convenience, and visual entertainment. For e-commerce companies wanting to supercharge their marketing strategy in 2017, video is the way to go.

In WyzOwl’s The State of Video Marketing 2016 report, they found two vitally important things.

1. Consumers love video—69 percent of people, if given a choice, preferred to watch a video rather than read about a product.
2. Internet retailers that do it right stand to reap a ton of benefits—93 percent of companies found that video helped consumers better understand their products, and 64 percent believed that using video directly resulted in higher sales.

In an age where the majority of shopping takes place online, it is important for e-retailers to offer this user-friendly type of support and brand engagement. Want to learn how to incorporate video into your future e-commerce marketing campaigns? We’ve got a few ideas.

1. Product Videos

Product videos are something your consumers want more of. In fact, some businesses claim that product videos helped them increase customer purchases by 144 percent. If the task of creating product videos for your full product line seems daunting, consider focusing on just one or two products and monitoring sales after you’ve published the videos.

2. 360-degree Views

If you have a three-dimensional product or navigable service/experience, a 360-degree video is a fantastic way to guide consumers through it without them having to see or use it in person. For instance, online clothiers can use these to show how their clothing fits on real people.

3. Go Behind the Scenes

A behind-the-scenes video offers consumers a glimpse into the inner workings of your business. You can introduce them to the people who create your products or deliver your services on a daily basis. You can also use this type of video to show how your products get made.

4. Explainer Videos

Explainer videos are a perfect way to deliver additional value to the customer experience of any e-commerce business. Simply think about the kinds of questions customers ask: How will this coat fit a 5-pound Yorkie? How do you create a new customer account? How do I pay with my PayPal account? What’s your returns policy? Show your customers that you are listening.

5. Give Your Opinion

If you ran a brick-and-mortar shop, you’d no doubt have sales associates on the floor helping customers make their selection. Why not do that with video? You can talk about how your product works, perhaps compare it with similar products of yours and then discuss who you think it is best suited for and why.

6. Get Your Customers’ Opinions

Yours is not the only opinion that matters in the minds of your customers. With social proof playing such a significant role in the decision-making process these days, customer testimonials and success stories hold a lot of power. If you can capture those on video and share them with others who are currently considering a purchase, you may have just sold another customer!

There is no doubt about it. Video is a wonderful medium to incorporate into e-commerce marketing right now. It gives consumers—especially tech-loving millennials—an easy and convenient way to interact with brands and helps educate them about products and services before they make a purchase.

Beyond the benefits for your customers, for businesses it helps to improves SEO, and it humanizes businesses. It also enables companies to focus on creating high-quality products. By giving consumers an up-close and sometimes intimate look into your products and work, you are more likely to ease their concerns, answer their questions, and instill more trust… and do less work in the process.

About Endicia

Endicia is a leading provider of internet-based postage services that make it easier and more affordable to ship parcels through the U.S. Postal Service®. We know that shipping can be complex and our goal is to simplify your shipping operations so you can focus on doing what you do best. Visit us at www.endicia.com to learn more.