WhatDThe success of moving images in online shops depends on several factors, which you should take into consideration when planning your campaigns:

1. Select the product categories wisely

Not only difficult to explain and complex products, such as e.g. the set-up of a tent or the utilization of tools, are particularly well suited for creating explanatory videos to bring the user closer to special features, assortments like clothing and shoes can benefit from incorporated video clips as well – provided high-quality visual content is presented. Just for often replaced, low-price products the provision of explanatory video is not worth it.

2. The right placement is important

Most users prefer to see product videos on the product-specific page and that’s indeed where they belong to. More generic videos, on the other hand, which are intended to present the company or show special unique features, are best placed on the homepage of the shop.

3. The purpose determines the length

Even if there are different opinions on how long a video should be, one thing is clear: Brevity is the soul of wit! For generic videos on the home page, 30 seconds to three minutes are acceptable.  It is important to keep track of the abortion rate to improve it, if necessary. Product videos may be much longer, depending on the need for explanation. The rule of thumb for videos, that provide help with complex processes, is about 70 seconds. Depending on the platform on which the video is shown as well, there are different recommendations: On Facebook, for instance, the user decides in the first three seconds, whether he wants to watch the video or not, so the relevant information should be right at the beginning.

4. Place videos on YouTube and Facebook

It is good to use explanatory videos on social media platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube, and then link them to your own website. You should arrange for a detailed keyword analysis with monitoring and professional video SEO for the videos to be found. This pays off as well for the search engine ranking, because interesting content increases the length of time spent in the shop by the customers and targeted video SEO measures help to be ranked higher on Google, Baidu, Bing & Co.

5. The application area determines the design

As different as the fields of application are as different are the possibilities to create an explanatory video. So-called ‘scribble videos’, for instance, that are using simple drawings and are held in black and white, are generally low priced. But if you go for brand recognition value, and want to see your own corporate design included in a video that’s tailor-made for your needs, you usually have to dig much deeper into your pocket.

Considering Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (Cisco VNI), deploying videos in eCommerce makes absolute sense, especially when considering the mobile trend. According to Cisco’s study, annual global IP traffic will surpass two zettabyte by 2020 and Smartphone traffic will have exceeded PC traffic by then, accounting for 30% of total IP traffic, and traffic from wireless and mobile devices will account for two-thirds, the number of devices connected to IP networks will be three times as high as the global population in 2020 and broadband speeds will nearly double by then, reaching 47.7 Mbps.

What’s for sure, video marketing will continue to grow at a rapid pace.

By Daniela La Marca