Ecommerce product videos are being used more and more on the internet over the last few years. Moreover, the increased video usage is likely to continue with social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Ecommerce Product videos are a key advertising tool
The pandemic has encouraged online shopping as an option for customers. There is no suprise that eCommerce is our future, because of its effciency and ease of use. However, it’s popularity does mean that there is much more competition. To maintain your profits and the growth of your business you will need to keep your content refreshing and up to date.
A brilliant example of company success after using eCommerce product videos effectively is the Dollar Shave Club. Dollar shave club created a video in 2012 , publishing it to YouTube, where it subsequently went viral. This then aided the journery of the small business becoming a billion-dollar brand. The video currently has over 27 million views on youtube and you can watch it right here.
What are eCommerce product videos?
Product videos can be an invaluable marketing tool and they are incredibly versatile. No matter what your business offers there is a style of videography out there that is well suited for your brand. Here is just a few of the options you have out there:
Demos, Tutorials and How-tos
Show how simple your products are to use/assemble via an eCommerce product videos. Demo videos are also a great way to highlight multiple uses with one product too. The video can be tailored entirely to what you need/want to show too. You can utilise voice overs and closed captions depending on how obvious the process within the clip is.
Context/ Lifestyle eCommerce product videos
Show your product in it’s natural habitat. You can use actors to help emphasise the product and bring it into the real world. These videos work very well as social media content or to decorate your ecommerce web page. These clips rely on being visually appealing so they don’t require and indepth showcase of the product like demo videos do. This makes them a great alternative for products that don’t require much of a tutorial.
Close up eCommerce product videos
Close ups are perfect for very intricate pieces. This could be jewellery, clothing or even food. Close ups work well for pieces that are considered luxury or if you intend on creating a very dramatic vibe.
What should you consider when starting out with eCommerce product videos?
Customer Personas
Who are you aiming your products at? And what are their interent habits? What sort of videography content do they consume? Understanding your customer personas can help assist with aspects like the type of video as listed above but also the approach to the video types. Your product will determine what kind of vibe you want to put across. To illustrate; a vintage themed whiskey brand would advertise completely differently to a childrens toy brand based around learning. Theme can influence things like lighting and colour too, so it is essential to have a good grasp on who will be watching your videos.
What platform will you use?
Customer personas can help you determine where to post your videos. Look into what social media is common amongst your specific customer profiles so it is much more likely to be seen by them. Platform and length should be equally suited too. Instagram is very verstatile for content length, wheras short form video content works best with Tiktok and much longer works great on Youtube. Furthermore, with most content being tailored to social media nowawdays you may want to record in portrait rather than landscape as it fills the screen well and it suitable for video platforms like tiktok.
How can you create your eCommerce product videos?
Tiktok actually supports homemade videos a lot more effectively so it is possible to create these videos at home. Polished, professional videos on tiktok can be mistaken for paid adverts and often ignored so if you want to create organic and inviting tiktoks it is best to record and edit within your phone. However, this isn’t the case at all for other platforms and most importantly your own website. Clean, crisp videography is key to highlighting professionalism and quality within your brand. You’ll want to weigh up your skills and the cost of hiring/buying equiptment vs hiring a professional too. You need to consider the space to record, cost of equipment (lighting, video cameras, tripods, audio recording equipment etc), the cost of editing software and the time necessary to get to grips with these elements.
Conclusion
Efficiency is key and if you can answer the questions a lengthy product description would hightlight in a short, aesthetically pleasing video clip, your customers will appreciate it greatly. Videography will bring back the immersive quality of shopping in person that is lost when shopping online. They also make excellent engaging content for your social media campaigns. Talk with your local videographer to find out what options there are out there for you and your company. You never know, you could become the next viral buisness just like the Dollar Shave Club!