Video shopping can take multiple forms from on-demand shoppable videos where products in videos can be clicked to see details and to shop, to live shopping events. Shoppable videos are now widely available in different forms across the main social platforms, channels like Youtube, and bespoke solutions on brand’s e-commerce websites. The formats available on social channels are more generic where a video is associated with a set of products. The bespoke formats on e-commerce are typically more specific with actual shoppable hotspots on individual items within the shoppable videos.
Live shopping events are a live stream based format of video shopping which got hugely popular during the pandemic. Live shopping events can be hosted across some social platforms like TikTok as well as brand’s e-commerce websites. This format has a live stream video combined with social interactions, such as comments and likes, with the ability to shop products directly from the live shopping event.
Benefits of video shopping for brands
Video shopping transforms regular videos from passive viewing experiences into highly engaging and interactive experiences with measurable impact.
Video shopping enables brands to create a direct link between their videos and products they wish to showcase. In doing so, videos are converted from a format that only drives awareness, to a format that can impact all steps of the conversion funnel including discovery and conversion. Data shows that brands can see up to 8X ROI when using video shopping. Through the interactive layer in video shopping formats on e-commerce websites, brands are able to collect a large number of new data points about consumer preferences and video performance. You can read a more detailed blog about the benefits of shoppable video here.
In addition to shoppable videos, live shopping events can be used as a highly impactful way to engage with customers and enable real-time interaction through comments and questions. Brands are also able to use the live shopping event recordings as highly informative content formats that drive discovery and conversion way beyond the initial event itself.
Consumers love exploring these new video shopping formats and therefore brands can use this to get new customers to visit their website to experience the content. Data shows that live shopping events hosted on brand’s websites and promoted through social media and newsletters can drive up to 60% of new customers. Here is a detailed report on the benefits of live shopping.
Benefits of video shopping for consumers
The purpose of video content created by brands is to inspire people and showcase products. However, in traditional video formats, there is a disconnect between inspiration and the ability to learn more about the featured items. If you see a product in a video, you will have to either search for the product on the website or perhaps even use other search tools like Google. Given the extremely short attention span of consumers in general, the majority of people will never go through this process of trying to find the products.
Another way of associating products with videos often seen on channels like YouTube is by listing details about the featured products in the description of the video itself. This makes it a little easier to find the featured items, but can still be a lengthy process in finding the exact product link for a specific item from the list.
Video shopping removes this friction from the search process and enables single-click discovery for products featured in videos. Viewers can click on any of the items they find interesting to view a summary about the item without leaving the shoppable video or live shopping event. This transforms the discovery process and offers a fun and interactive way of engaging with content.
Content requirements for video shopping?
The big question always asked by brands is with regard to what type of video content is suitable for shoppable videos. One of the misconceptions can be that specific content needs to be filmed for video shopping, however in reality, the majority of video shopping is enabled through existing videos. There are very few limitations for videos when it comes to suitability for shoppable formats. The only main restriction would be related to the editing of the video, where it is recommended not to have cuts between different products at less than 2-3 seconds, to give viewers time to see the item and click it.
Video shopping can be used to amplify all types of videos. We have listed some of the most used examples with relevant case studies below.
Shoppable video based Campaign films
Most brands create regular seasonal campaign films which are a perfect format for shoppable videos. These campaign films often feature a broad range of the latest products, giving a lot of opportunity for using shoppability to make the discovery of these products easy through video shopping. Brands would typically share the shoppable campaign video on their e-commerce website, and use channels like social media to drive customers to the shoppable video campaign.
Shoppable Influencer videos
Influencers contribute a huge amount towards product-specific brand content both in on-demand as well as live streaming format. Due to limitations on social platforms, influencers are not able to easily make videos shoppable and use specific discount codes to create a connection between the content and sales. Influencer content offers a great opportunity for making these videos shoppable to be shared by influencers on social media, as well as brands making these videos shoppable and sharing them on their e-commerce. Here is an example of a live shopping session with Sculpted by Aimee where the main presenter and influencer is the brand owner, talking through a range of the latest products in this video shopping experience, or the Dior x Bloomingdales beauty masterclass where the presenter is a beauty make up artist influencer.
Shoppable Product review videos
Product review videos are extremely popular, especially in categories like home electronics and beauty. These are videos where an expert reviews certain products in a longer form video. This format lends itself extremely well to the video shopping format where each of the products are tagged with the instant ability to see more details and to shop. Adding shoppable review videos to e-commerce is also a great way for brands to transform their e-commerce into a knowledge hub and offer their customers valuable content without losing them to other sites like YouTube. Here is an example of a live shopping event in the product review format from Samsung.
Shoppable Unboxing videos
Unboxing videos are a popular format used in video shopping in the fashion and beauty industries. These are typically hosted by influencers or style and beauty experts who go through a set of products discussing them one by one. This is another great content format which can be created regularly at a low production cost. For instance, there could be a monthly unboxing session with the latest products using video shopping. Here is an example of a Valentino Digital Unboxing experience which was launched on their e-commerce site in parallel to real-life unboxing sessions happening at certain selected stores.
Shoppable videos showcasing retail stores
Another widely used form of video is content filmed at retail stores or popup events to bring the brand’s physical experience to customers online through video shopping. This can be done in a range of formats from simple walkthrough videos to filming the spaces using a drone. The videos can then be made shoppable to highlight certain products, as well as add interactive links to brands and departments within larger stores. This is an example of a Ralph Lauren x Farfetch store launch walkthrough using shoppable video. As the stylists are being followed through the store, they start talking about certain looks worn by the mannequins and these looks are made shoppable.
In summary, the range of content that can be made shoppable is very broad, and video shopping formats are effective for all videos that showcase some form of product or service. We believe that in the near future every single video online will feature some form of shoppable or interactive elements. If you would like to learn more about getting started with video shopping, you can use the link below to book a demo with our team of experts.
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