Shoppable video allows viewers to click on products directly within the video to get more details on the products and to add them to their shopping carts. All this can be done without interrupting the shopper’s viewing experience since they don’t need to pause or leave the video.
This offers tremendous benefits to your ecommerce business.
For one, a shoppable video, when done correctly, is perfect for showcasing your products in an attractive way to customers. Second, you can get as creative as you’d like with your video. We’ve seen quizzes, fashion shows, and mini-movies—the possibilities are endless.
Shoppable videos can also give your customers a fun and memorable shopping experience. They can keep your content fresh in their minds, which in turn can encourage repeat visits to your ecommerce store.
And did we mention they’re ultra-sharable?
A survey by Wyzowl found that 83% of customers who loved a branded video would consider sharing it with friends. A well-developed shoppable video is easily shared and has the potential to bring tons of traffic to your ecommerce store.
Are you excited yet? Well, in this post, we’ll look at how to make shoppable videos for your ecommerce store and dig a little deeper into why you should consider making them.
Table of Contents
Why Create A Shoppable Video for Ecommerce
Creating a Shoppable Video That SELLS
Why Create A Shoppable Video for Ecommerce
You run paid ads, and you’re doing reasonably well on social media, so why should you consider making shoppable videos? Here are a few unique benefits of using shoppable videos for ecommerce:
Increases Conversion Rates
Studies show that shoppable videos can increase conversion rates by up to 30%. In these videos, customers can see their preferred products in action, which can inspire them to purchase. One main benefit of the shoppable video is that it allows you to strategically place your CTAs throughout the video, creating more opportunities for the viewer to click through.
Shoppable videos also give customers the feeling that they completely control their viewing experience.
According to Annie Hinners, director of brand management at COTU, “Shoppable video increases conversion rates significantly because you’re giving the viewers more opportunity to engage with your products.”
Learn More: How Shoppable Video Can Increase Sales
Simplifies the Customer Journey
Shoppable videos make it super simple for your viewers to add products to their carts since they can click on products directly in the video. This way, you can remove any friction in their shopping journey, making it less likely for them to lose interest and more likely for them to convert.
Siegel+Gale, a top brand consultancy, surveyed over 15,000 consumers in nine countries, and the results were interesting. The survey showed that brands offering the simplest customer experiences witnessed the strongest stock performances and the most loyal customers.
Hinners explains, “What’s going on now is that when consumers are watching a video, they have to Google and go to your website and figure out the products.” It can create friction and make the customer journey lengthy and frustrating, making it more difficult for the buyer to complete the purchase. Shoppable videos solve this issue.
According to Hinners, “We’re building COTU to bridge that gap. Shoppable videos can make it really easy for customers to watch the video, learn about your brand, and buy your products. They don’t have to leave the page. They can do it all from the video.”
Richer Customer Experience
The quality of your customer experience can make or break your ecommerce store. The Siegel+Gale annual survey shows that 57% of customers are willing to pay a premium for simpler experiences, and 76% are likely to recommend brands that provide simpler experiences and communications.
The value of a great customer experience cannot be overstated. Thoughtful and carefully created shoppable videos do an excellent job of soft-selling to viewers while offering a good dose of entertainment. This encourages customers to spend more money and make more impromptu purchases.
Hinners explains, “Shoppable video allows customers to “linger longer” and really retain more information from the videos. The watchers are going to remember that product so much more because they’re interacting with that product.”
Of course, when it’s time to buy again or spread the word about your store, they’re likely to come back to you and bring others as well.
Useful Performance Insights
The stats don’t lie. Research shows that 91% of buyers are more likely to spend with businesses offering personalized product recommendations, and 74% are frustrated when companies don’t meet their expectations.
Shoppable videos produce handy insights into customer behavior on your ecommerce website. With this kind of clickable video, you can track important metrics like views, impressions, clicks, cart value, ROI, and more. With all this data in your hands, you can offer your visitors more personalized content.
Talking about shoppable video performance, Hinners explained, “We have a really robust analytics tool that allows the brand to take a good look at what viewers are engaging with so they can invest better into the products that people are liking and give watchers what they want.”
Also Read: 15 Shoppable Video Companies: Solutions and Software
Creating a Shoppable Video That SELLS
The benefits of interactive videos for your ecommerce business are evident. By now, you might be thinking about how you can include them in your marketing strategy. Let’s look at how to make a shoppable video that can REALLY boost sales and increase ROI.
Creating a successful ecommerce shoppable video requires a few things: a little planning, a reasonable dose of creativity, and a great video editing platform. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you get started:
- Shoppertainment: While you don’t necessarily need to create a full-blown comedy, it’s good to add a touch of creativity to your videos. Entertaining videos will help to keep your viewers more engaged.
- Clarity: Make it clear from the beginning that your video is shoppable (they’re still relatively new). Products also need to be clearly displayed and easy to click.
- Length: There’s no single ideal length for your shoppable video. However, the time between product shots shouldn’t be too long unless the gap is filled with engaging material.
Here are the steps to make an excellent shoppable video:
Step 1 – Plan
To kick off, you need to decide exactly what you want to include in your shoppable video. Think about the vibe you want to create with your video, and then start putting your ideas together. Consider the following:
- Come Up With a Storyline
The first step to making a successful shoppable video is to plan your story. What’s the message you want to get across to your viewers? Using a relevant storyline that shows how the advertised product(s) solves your customers’ issues is good.
Have fun with it. Don’t be afraid to add a little humor. The more creative your shoppable video is, the more it will engage the viewer.
- Decide On Scripts, Scenes, And Location
Now’s the time to plan the script for every character. Decide on the products and the backdrop for the video. Will there be a voiceover? What about the scenery? Do you already know where you’ll shoot each scene?
- Prepare High-Quality Product Images
Take some high-quality photos of the products you intend to display in your shoppable video. These pictures should clearly show the essential details of your products that can help buyers decide (such as texture, material, color, and other finer details).
Helpful tip: Ensure the advertised product stands out clearly in the video. Try to avoid stuffing too much in the video.
For this tutorial, we’ll use the example video we shot for COTU:
Step 2 – Film
Now that you have your shoppable video content all planned out, it’s time to shoot the video. Here are some things for you to consider:
- Use Quality Equipment
You’ll need a good camera for high-quality video and a stand for stable shots. You can use a smartphone, camcorder, or DSLR to get great photos. Choose natural light, ring lights, or a complete professional lighting kit for the best results.
If your video has a voiceover, you’ll also need a quality audio recorder, as cameras tend to have poor audio input. You can choose a lavalier microphone or a fancy audio recorder.
- Get Creative With Your Shots
When taking product shots, try to vary your camera movements to highlight important features to add interest. You can use your camera’s zoom and pan features to get close-ups and tracking shots.
- Get More Footage Than You Need
Shoot each scene a few times, then use the best take for the final video. Doing this can save you from re-shooting when editing your video. It’s also a good idea to shoot each scene from different distances and angles to see which ones best display your product.
Helpful tip: Ensure product shots run long enough for users to decide if they’re interested and click on the product.
Step 3 – Edit
After you’ve gathered all the footage you need, then it’s time to put it all together to make your final shoppable video. COTU video editing platform can make editing shoppable video a breeze. Following is the rundown on creating a shoppable video with COTU in four easy steps.
Step 1: Create Your Campaign
- Select a new campaign or edit an existing one.
- Give your new campaign a name.
- Upload your video footage.
- Insert campaign goals, audience, and budget.
- Click create.
Step 2: Create Your Product Overlays
- Select the “Products” icon to create a product to insert into your video.
- Give the product a name, upload its photo, and add its price and the product URL.
- Repeat for as many products as you want to include in the video.
Step 3: Add Your Products To The Timeline
- Let the video run, and click on products to drag them to your preferred point in the video.
- Now run through the video and adjust product images as needed.
- Use the slider to trim product overlays or move them to different points until satisfied with the results.
Step 4: Save And Publish Your Campaign
- Once you’ve finished editing, save your campaign and hit the publish button.
- Congratulations—your campaign is now live! Now you can spread the word and share the video with your audience.
Helpful tip: Don’t forget to add your logo and brand colors to provide a consistent brand experience to your customers.
Also Read: The Future of Shoppable Video: How It’s Shaping Ecommerce
Step 4 – Post
Your shoppable video is finally ready, and it looks great! Now it’s time to get it in front of your audience. COTU gives you three options to share:
- A shareable link
- An embed code
- A QR code
You may embed it on your ecommerce website, share a link with your followers or add a QR code to your product page.
Helpful tip: Use QR codes where possible because 96% of consumers scanned QR codes in 2021.
Now that you know how to make a shoppable video, are you ready to include it in your ecommerce marketing strategy? COTU’s easy-to-use shoppable video editor is a great place to start. If you have any questions, contact us today or request a demo to explore all COTU features.