In recent years, we witnessed the re-writing of business as we know it with the emergence of new formats of shopping. Now in 2022, another major trend is emerging – video commerce.
Video commerce is the next big thing in Indian eCommerce, according to a recent report by WATConsult.
More people are looking up products and purchasing through video platforms. There will be 216 million video commerce shoppers in India by the end of 2022, which is a 47% increase from last year. This is almost half of the total eCommerce users in India.
Source: WATConsult
In the coming years, the number of people purchasing through videos is expected to double.
This means that if you are an online business owner and you are not planning on jumping on the video commerce bandwagon soon, you may be left behind.
Read on to find out more about video commerce trends and how you can use them to grow your eCommerce business.
Contents
- 1 What is video commerce and why does it work?
- 2 How can you use videos to drive sales?
- 3 1. Which platforms are used for video commerce shopping?
- 4 2. Explainer videos and product demonstrations:
- 5 3. Customer testimonials
- 6 4. Shareable video content
- 7 5. How long should videos be?
- 8 6. Live streaming videos
- 9 7. Preferred language
- 10 Video – the future of content and commerce
What is video commerce and why does it work?
Using video content to promote and sell products and services online is called video commerce. The content can be on social media platforms, ads, shopping apps, and eCommerce websites.
Video content helps sellers deliver in-depth product information to customers. They offer the best visual experience of the product while conveying a lot of information about it in a short span of time.
This will further boost their confidence and make a positive purchase decision.
Video content drives more impressions across social platforms, which means that brands using this format will gain customer trust easily. And trust is a huge factor when it comes to online shopping.
We’re in a creator economy where social media influencers and YouTubers have more influence than anyone else. Internet users display the ‘see-now-want-now’ mentality. That’s another reason why video commerce is becoming popular – creators are at the forefront of video-enabled commerce.
How can you use videos to drive sales?
The report goes on to explain what kinds of video content work best and insights on how to make the most out of video content strategy. Here are the key takeaways:
1. Which platforms are used for video commerce shopping?
A majority of the customers have shopped online after watching shoppable video ads on social media platforms, like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Apart from this, many shoppers also responded that they use social media to research a new brand they came across.
2. Explainer videos and product demonstrations:
A majority of online consumers prefer to watch explainer videos about products/services. Explainer videos usually feature a speaker demonstrating how the product works and why should the audience consider buying it.
3. Customer testimonials
Videos featuring customers who have used the product are favoured by 33% of online shoppers, according to the report. We already know that reviews and testimonials are a big factor in purchasing decisions. So, incorporating these in you video content strategy will help you convert more customers.
Read this blog to know how to use customer testimonials to scale your business.
In many cases, even if videos don’t generate direct sales, more brand awareness is spread through videos. This will ultimately result in sales as word about your brand gets around.
And the key to this is creating shareable content – understand your target audience and create videos that they find relatable.
Tap into their emotions and pain points and connect this with your product. They will share them with their circle of friends and family, further increasing the reach of the content and thus your brand.
Read this blog to learn how to include videos in your social media marketing plan.
5. How long should videos be?
Data shows that short videos are enough to get customers to buy. The ideal length of ‘shoppable’ videos varies for different product categories. For most cases, 15 second long videos are capable of driving user engagement on platforms and thus more sales.
6. Live streaming videos
This is a video content format that is just emerging in the Indian digital commerce space. Live commerce is a form of online shopping where customers make purchases during live streaming events such as Instagram live. It allows customers to get an interactive and immersive shopping experience.
More than half of the online shoppers in the survey say they are likely to purchase online during live streaming on social media and shopping apps.
7. Preferred language
Do users want content to be in English or local language?
The answer to this question varies according to your target audience, demographic, and age group.
In general, most shoppers prefer to watch online shoppable video advertisements, both in English and local languages. Only 7% of consumers in the survey say they would want content in local language. The bottom line is that you need to create video content in a language medium that your target audience is comfortable with.
Here’s a resource to help you define your buyer persona and get your strategy in place.
Video – the future of content and commerce
Creating video content for your business can be exhausting. Start slow and you’ll figure out the rest on the way. The more you create videos, the more chance you’ll have of finding success through them.
A great place to start is YouTube. Here’s a free online course to help you learn how to grow your business with YouTube.
