This message is for any business owner running an online store—don’t sleep on the endless possibilities of the digital era! You have so many tools available to portray your brand’s unique message, and the most persuasive of them all is video.
Consumers are more inclined to buy products they can visualize and understand well. By showcasing product videos in your online store, you can boost conversion rates (meaning more customers will complete the purchase.)
In this blog article, we will explore the reasons why videos are essential to an online store, share tips on how to use videos to your advantage, and provide some inspiring product video examples.
Why Use Product Videos in Your Online Store
First, let’s discuss how videos can make a difference in your online store and product gallery:
Videos Help to Convert Customers
Data summarized by Invesp proves that watching a video influences customers’ decisions a lot:
- 74% of users who watched an explainer video about a product subsequently bought it.
- Product pages with videos convert 80% better than those without.
These stats prove that videos are an efficient way to convince potential customers to choose you over competitors and turn them into paying customers.
Videos Speak Volumes
Did you know that 60% of consumers would rather watch a product video than read a description? When you think about it, that’s not surprising. Product videos can bring more context to your product and are easier to understand.
In videos, you can show how the product works or discuss features in detail, making it easier for potential customers to determine if the product meets their needs.
Product review videos are one of the most popular types of video content (Source: Statista)
Videos Boost Time on Site
As an online business, you should be looking for ways to make visitors stay longer on your site. That’s helpful for sales and also for SEO, as it signals to search engines that people find your website worth browsing.
However, the average time consumers spend on a page is less than a minute. Luckily, videos can be a game-changer! They can grab people’s attention and keep them on your site longer.
Also: A Highly Effective SEO Strategy To Increase Traffic
How to Use Product Videos: 5 Proven Strategies
Now that we’ve discussed why videos are essential for business owners, let’s look at the different ways you can use them in your online store.
Show Off Your Product’s Features and Benefits
Videos are a great way to explain the features and benefits of the products you sell in your online store. Use them to:
- show how your product looks in real life (especially if you sell apparel, accessories, furniture, etc.)
- explain what the product is made of (great for cosmetics, skincare, food & drinks, etc.)
- reveal what sets your product apart from others.
For example, Purple made a video in collaboration with the What’s Inside YouTube channel to show what their pillows are made of and compare different brands of pillows. The video did a great job of showing the product’s unique benefits and how it differs from competitors without being too sales-y.
Product demonstration videos also work great for products with moving parts—fitness equipment, bicycles, musical instruments, and more. A short video showcasing the product in action is much more persuasive than a text description or a static image.
Explain How to Use Your Product
If you sell products requiring some assembly or with complicated instructions, videos can make them much easier to understand. Put together a video instruction for each product and show customers exactly how to use it.
Explainer videos help break down complex products and make them more approachable and user-friendly. If you are selling technology, digital devices, or other complicated items, explainer videos can be helpful too.
However, even if you sell common products like skincare, you can benefit from explainer videos. Take CeraVe, for example. They made a short video explaining which CeraVe products suit different skin types. Choosing the right product can be difficult for customers, so the brand did a great job clarifying the differences between their cleansers.
Demonstrate Social Proof with Customer Testimonials and UGC Videos
User-generated content refers to videos and photos real customers create about your product. These videos are compelling, showing customers that real people are using your products and benefiting from them. It is a more trustworthy approach than text testimonials. It’s honest and carries more trust than any marketing message you can create.
If your customers already use and love your products, ask them to share their experience with a video or two! Ask them how the product helps in their daily lives, what they love about it, and so on. Or, if you’ve collaborated with influencers for a review, you can reuse their video and add them to product pages.
Podcast: Influencer Marketing Without the Guesswork
Customer testimonial videos are beneficial for any business, but especially for services, because making different types of videos for them can be more difficult.
For example, FreshBooks, an accounting software company, created a testimonial video featuring their clients who represent their target audience. In the video, they explain how using FreshBooks enabled a business owner and an accountant to collaborate on strategic growth.
Add a Tutorial Video
Tutorial videos are educational videos related to your products. It’s an effective way to show off what your product can do and boost conversion rates in the long run.
Tutorial videos are helpful for any store that sells products with multiple features. For instance, if your business sells digital cameras, you can create a tutorial video showing how to use your camera to make better shots at night. You can use tutorial videos to help customers get creative with your product and offer them some tips and tricks.
For example, a flower and plant store, Bloom & Wild, shares a tutorial on pressing flowers. Not only does the video show what customers can do with their product, but it also helps establish the business’s credibility in the niche.
Display a Lifestyle Video
Lifestyle product pictures show the product in action and give potential customers a better idea of how it would fit into their lives. It helps potential customers imagine themselves using the product, which is a persuasive tactic.
The key to lifestyle videos is to portray the lifestyle your customers want to have, the life they desire.
For example, if you sell accessories, don’t just make videos of models wearing your products—you must dress the models how your target audience dreams of dressing. Use props and shoot in fun environments that make sense for the product and your target audience.
For example, Nike makes a TikTok video with a fashion and lifestyle influencer Tony Tran to show that their product is perfect for sports and everyday wear. The video definitely strikes a chord with people who don’t want to sacrifice style for comfort.
How to Add a Video to a Product Page
It’s likely you’re already using videos for your social media, but let us remind you about the stats we’ve shared above: product pages with video convert 80% better than those without. So adding videos to your product pages is worth considering!
For business owners using Ecwid by Lightspeed to sell online, adding a product video to a storefront is a piece of cake. If you don’t have an Ecwid store, this is your sign to create one.
In your Ecwid store, you can add videos to the product gallery along with images:
Ecwid store Pho U uses their TikTok video in the product gallery
If you use a video as the main product media, its thumbnail will be shown on the storefront:
You can choose to display a video’s thumbnail on the storefront
To display a video in the product gallery, upload it on a popular hosting platform like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Vimeo, etc., then add the video link to the product page. Easy-peasy!
You can add unlimited videos for one product—there are no restrictions on video size, length, aspect ratio, or resolution.
Check out our Help Center for instructions on adding videos to your product gallery.
Learn more: Product Page Setup: 17 Tips to Increase Conversion Rate and Drive More Sales
Elevate Your Storefront with Product Videos
Using videos to showcase products in your online store provides a range of benefits and can be the perfect way to stand out from your competitors and convert store visitors into customers.
Videos have the power to positively influence your brand identity. When you share videos that showcase the quality and craftsmanship of your products, it adds an authentic touch to your brand. So make sure to use videos to your advantage and elevate the visitor’s experience in your store.
Happy selling!