Avasam reports that users will spend 88% more time on web pages with video content. Consequently, the more consumers linger on a website, the more likely it is that they will make a purchase.  You must invest in video marketing. The effectiveness of videos doesn’t come as a surprise. After all, people are highly visual creatures. This means we process and retain visuals better than texts. For eCommerce businesses, if you think images are enough to drive engagement, videos can do more.

Why should your eCommerce store invest in video marketing?

As Mark Zuckerberg said in 2014, most of the content people will share is videos. Fast forward to today and his words couldn’t be truer. From creating product videos to online video ads, here’s why you should incorporate and invest in video marketing for your eCommerce strategy.

1. Provides high ROI

Let’s start with numbers:

  • 89% of video marketers agree that videos provide good ROI
  • 66% of B2C marketers use video marketing
  • 95% of video marketers aim to maintain or increase video spending in 2020.

These figures prove that video is an integral part of digital marketing and will continue to progress rapidly, making video one of the most important eCommerce marketing channels.  As social media platforms continue to develop video-focused algorithms, videos are fast becoming a necessary factor in social media marketing.

Aside from this, videos are also playing a role in increasing ROI for email marketing, ads, and websites, among other platforms. Although producing videos is not easy and cheap, the returns in terms of sales and brand awareness are surprisingly high.

For example, Tiger Fitness created its YouTube channel to establish itself not only as a retailer but also as a thought leader in the fitness industry.

As a result, their video marketing efforts helped them achieve a 60% returning customer rate—that’s three times their industry benchmark. The Small Business Blog suggests that when creating your videos, keep in mind that the content and message matter the most.  Average production with quality content is better than quality production with poor content.

2. Boosts sales and conversions

Incorporating videos across your digital experience platforms allows you to maximize your content and engagement to boost sales. For example, if you want to become a life coach online, invest in creating videos on your products, services, and successful testimonies.

You can share these videos on your website, social media, and email marketing, which will allow you to improve your organic reach and increase sales. Many companies have been using videos in their email marketing campaigns resulting in up to 96% higher click-through rate.

You may also want to spend on video ads. It has an average click-through rate of 1.84% As for social media, Nielsen found that in just the first 10 seconds of marketing videos on Facebook, videos:

  • Increased brand awareness from 32% to 65%.
  • Boosted purchase intent from 44% to 72%.
  • Improved video recall from 47% to 74%.

These figures already tell the huge potential video marketing has today and in the future, especially for eCommerce businesses.

3. Creates engagement

A survey by Wordstream found that videos result in 12 times more social shares than content and images combined. Since video is easy to understand, consume, and access, it becomes perfect for customer engagement. After all, not everyone likes to read through long product descriptions or browse through several catalogues.

For this reason, more experts are now using video on virtual summits, to create and sell online courses, content for their paid ad campaigns, etc. These videos can be shared on social platforms allowing experts and businesses to widen their reach organically.

4. Builds consumer trust

Content marketing’s goal is to establish trust and create long-term relationships with consumers. With video content, consumers can easily relate to your video’s message, remember your brand, and respond by sharing your content. All of these establish trust between you and your consumers.

A good example of establishing trust in eCommerce is by creating product videos. 71% of consumers think that videos explain products better than descriptions. With a product video, consumers get a better sense of how your products would look and feel compared to reading the description.

By showing the product’s details and features in an aesthetically pleasing video, consumers are both informed and enticed about the new product. In turn, consumers are now more confident in purchasing this new product.

5. Improves SEO ranking

Not many businesses realize that videos can also impact your SEO ranking. According to Moovly, you’re 53 times more likely to rank first on Google if you include embedded videos on your website.

Why is that?

With videos, users spend 88% more time on your website. With high-quality, compelling videos, people stay longer. Longer page durations mean Google will improve your search ranking. For eCommerce stores, ranking on the first page means higher visibility, traffic, and sales. Additionally, consumers are keener on sharing videos than text pages. More social shares also positively contribute to your SEO ranking.

Of course, make sure to also optimize your video for SEO by writing a keyword-driven meta-data, inserting a video transcript, and choosing a good thumbnail, among others. By adding videos to your site, you can have a better chance of ranking high and boosting your organic traffic.

6. Appeals to mobile users

According to Statista, smartphone users will reach 3.8 billion worldwide by 2021. With mobile users increasing, demand for mobile video content also increases. This is because 90% of consumers choose to watch videos on their smartphones.  Moreover, Google says that smartphone users are twice as likely to feel a personal connection to a brand’s video than TV viewers.

Because more consumers are glued to their phones, various brands have already made ‘mobile-friendly videos such as vertical video content. The video’s dimensions allow mobile users to watch a video vertically in full screen which enhances user experience. Popular examples of brands that use vertical videos are Netflix, Spotify, and National Geographic.

With growing tech-savvy consumers, brands must satisfy the demand for on-the-go videos.

Leverage the power of video content.

The power of video makes it a necessary aspect of eCommerce marketing for businesses. When executed well, video marketing will allow your eCommerce store to attract, engage, and sell to your consumers exponentially. Be sure to invest in video marketing now as it will only continue to grow bigger. Indeed, the future of video content is here.