Top Tip – Boost your E-Commerce Sales with Video

Did you know that 64% – 85% of consumers are more likely to purchase after watching a product video, or that consumers on average stay on a website 2 minutes longer when video is available?

These are just two statistics out of thousands which say that video + e-commerce = sales.

The application of video in e-commerce is considered fairly standard now however I come across many e-commerce websites on my internet travels that make use of little or no video at all. This gets me down because there are hundreds of case studies freely available online which show that video can dramatically improve e-commerce sales.

Not just that, but e-commerce stores such as The Watch Shop and Zappos (two leading stores in their industry respectively) use videos to educate and convince their potential customers.

It‘s all about benefiting the customer.

So, our top tip for e-commerce store owners this week is to boost your sales with video.

Potential video applications:

Here are four excellent video ideas for your e-commerce store:

Product demos

Consumers are now smarter than ever and they have devices on them 24/7 that allow them to research products. There will be countless articles, discussions, and YouTube videos about any one of the products you offer, so when a potential customer visits your website, it‘s because they are making their final decision – it is here you need to convince your potential customer.

Product demonstrations are the best way to do this. Not to be confused with reviews, demonstrations explain the features of a product, why a potential customer should buy it, and offer brief how-to on how to get the most out of a product. The more valuable your video demo, the better the chances are your visitor is going to go through to the checkout stage.

Product reviews

A big chunk of your customers shopping experience is made up of education. Your customers will seriously benefit from professional product reviews on your website because they are a far easier way to digest product information – in a 60 second review, you can cover what might take your customer three minutes to find out by reading your product description.

Consider setting up a dedicated room for reviews, with good lighting and backgrounds. You want your reviews to look professional to portray your products in the best light. Consider hiring or buying a good 1080p HD camcorder for your reviews, and don‘t be afraid to hire a professional for a day to set you up.

Product reviews are especially powerful when combined with customer reviews. Speaking of which…

Customer reviews

Customer reviews are the backbone of any successful e-commerce store – what, you didn‘t think Amazon grew to the giant they are today by not showing their reviews, did you?

Video reviews are the most convincing type of review. They take longer to make than text reviews and they‘re less convenient for the customer, but they are worth their weight in gold. If you have a product page with a video review and customer video reviews of your service underneath that, your engagement is going to go through the roof. Your potential customers are going to connect with your brand and WANT to buy from you.

Parties

This video idea requires your brand to have a human face, or an ambassador if you like. A party is an online meeting between people who share the same interests – in this case the products you offer – and they are a fantastic way for you to engage with your customers and also find out plenty about them.

You can host parties on your website through a log-in area, but this is a complicated development process to get right. Instead, you should just use Google+ Hangouts, which is a completely free service that lets you connect with your Google+ followers nice and easy.

Consider inviting all new customers to your weekly or monthly hangout with incentives, such as money off vouchers on their first visit.