Key elements of effective product videos for e-commerce

The internet of today is a video wonderland. The elders (meaning people over the ripe old age of 30) remember when you couldn’t even watch a short clip without some dreaded buffering. 

Now, things couldn’t be more different. 

Without any exaggeration, billions of hours of video are waiting to be viewed online. And the best part is that the buffering woes are consigned to the past!

Why and how should you get started with product videos? Read on to find out. 

Why video is important for e-commerce

E-commerce businesses have become beneficiaries of the internet video boom. 

Product videos add a new, immersive dimension to online stores. 

It bridges the separation between the consumer and the product, allowing them to learn more and make better-informed decisions. 

Videos have also been shown to increase the time visitors spend in an online store. Most importantly, video drives more sales conversions, which should be your top priority if you run an e-commerce business.

Let’s look at what sort of videos you should have to boost your e-commerce store.

🔗 Read more: The ultimate guide to product videos in e-commerce

What makes an effective product video?

There isn’t a clear, fixed template for good product videos. 

A “good” product video fulfills its purpose, whether it be to: 

✨ Drive sales
✨ Inform consumers, or
✨ Strengthen your brand identity

Still, within this broad category, certain elements distinguish the most effective product videos from the dull majority. 

When picking out our creating product videos for your e-commerce store, pay attention to the following: 

An attention-grabbing opening

Never operate under the illusion that customers are over-eager to watch a product video. 

Given the short attention span of the average internet user, if you fail to captivate their interest right from the word “go,” it’s likely they’ll simply “go” on to the next store.

An attention-grabbing opening should reel viewers within the first 5 to 10 seconds, stoking their curiosity to see what follows. 

You can speak directly to your customers through product videos, address their pain points, and offer solutions that work for them — you can do all those things only if they watch the whole video. 

Kicking off with a bang is the best way to start your e-commerce product videos.

Concise and clear messaging

An online store should always value its customers’ time. 

When someone views your product videos, the least you can do is add value to their shopping experience. It’s always better to be as clear as possible when making product videos. 

The average length for most e-commerce product videos is between 30 to 60 seconds, which suggests that viewers don’t have the time or simply aren’t inclined to watch longer videos.

Depending on how close you are to the weekend, a minute can feel like the blink of an eye or the passing of hours. 

Jokes apart, 60 seconds should be sufficient to grab viewers' attention, address their needs, and promote your e-commerce business. 

Your content needs to hit the 3C-s of a good product video: 

1. Concise
2. Clear
3. Crisp

Don’t offer fluff or unnecessary details in your product videos; just the information required to achieve the video’s goal.‍

Loud and clear call-to-action

No online store wants customers to view its product videos and become interested but forget about the store entirely because they do not know how to follow up or take action.

Consider adding a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your product video when you produce video content yourself.

Placing your videos next to the 'add to cart' button on product pages or adding a clear CTA next to the videos displayed elsewhere in your store also does the trick.

In theory, communicating a CTA in every product video makes sense. The actual craft is developing a CTA to connect with the audience. Honing that craft will help you make better product videos for your e-commerce business.

However, if and when you also want to add user-generated content to your store, they typically won’t have a direct CTA. That’s also okay — if the video speaks for itself, viewers will be interested in discovering more. 

Engaging story

A great product video tells a story. And it doesn’t have to be a professional video either — an unboxing video created by a customer can tell a story as effectively as a sleek product video created in a professional studio setting. 

It’s always easier to connect emotionally with viewers through a moving story rather than dry facts and figures. 

Once that connection is forged, trust builds between the business and the customer. That could lead to sales and a new loyal addition to the customer base. 

Product videos don’t always need a story to be effective, but it never hurts when they have one.

🔗  Read more: How to create, find and use product videos in e-commerce

How to know when you’re doing it right? 

As with any other thing you put up on your website, goal-setting and following your performance in relation to those goals is key. 

A product video without a clear goal is like a ladder without rungs — it will never serve its purpose. 

Goal-setting is the crucial first step when adding product videos to your e-com storefront. Before you do that, you must identify the right metrics to measure performance.

Various metrics can be used to measure a product video’s effectiveness, including: 

📊 Number of views
📊 Click-through rates
📊 Increase in sales

However, only some metrics are equally important, depending on your intended goal. 

For example, if your purpose is to drive sales, the conversion rate will be less relevant than the number of views. 

On the other hand, if your goal is to spread awareness about your store, the number of views becomes of topmost importance. 

Metrics that are irrelevant or tangentially connected to achieving the stated goal are “vanity metrics.”

E-commerce retailers must be astute enough to sort the relevant data from the vanity metrics forming their product video strategy. 

🔗  Read more: Transforming e-commerce success stories with effective product videos

Get started with product videos today

A good product video has quality content, is entertaining, and speaks directly to the target demographic. 

The biggest question now is “How do I get these videos? Do I need to start filming right away?”

Worry not, we’ve got you. We will find the best-quality videos for you faster than you can Google “video production company for hire.” Well, not exactly, but you get the idea!

You can have a look at our ROI calculator to discover just how you could benefit from an e-commerce video automation tool like Videoly. Check it out! 

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