Mar 03 2008
Video product demonstrations are increasing conversion
Because of the proliferation of video sharing on the web, you may have considered or deployed video for branding and public relations on your online retail site. Most of the discussion relating to eCommerce up to this point has been pointed towards viral marketing campaigns. But the real payback may come from product demonstrations that are added to your rich media mix. Companies such as Ice.com have reported conversion increases of 40% for products with video presentations.
Up to this point, the large scale users of product demonstration videos are those who have re-purposed existing video such as HSN, and ShopNBC or deep pocket retailers such as Circuit City and Home Depot. ROI concerns on the high cost of video production have also limited usage to retailers who market products with high price points. But this has now changed as many retailers with in-house studios have figured out how to efficiently produce videos at a low cost. Vendors who specialize on website video production such as NextWebStudios are everywhere, offer very competitive pricing and services such as green screen imaging that allow spokespeople to walk directly over your web page.
Online retailers have been using product videos for years and I have seen my share of lousy productions and boring presentations that leave me anything but awe-struck. The risk is that inadequate production values can harm your business by leaving a poor impression. In my previous life as a creative director, I gained plenty of experience in the production of fashion location photography and will share some tips on moving forward.
- The secret to producing effective videos is very detailed and comprehensive pre-production planning and assembly line efficiency that allows you to shoot the maximum number of videos per day. Your fixed costs per day for studio time, photographers, stylists, models and assistants can be substantial so you need a well-oiled process that runs at maximum efficiency.
- Your choice of a spokesperson will make or break your videos. You or one of your staffers may be just the right person to make the presentation. But the use of well-chosen professional models and actors is the single best investment you can make to guarantee success.
- Take the time to write a script and consider rehearsals before bringing in the production staff.
- Choose a studio environment over outdoor location if at all possible. Controlled lighting and better staging to allow you to shoot 3 to 4 times more sessions per day.
- Screen size and resolution issues limit the amount of detail you can show. Use alternate still images with zoom rather than video to show minute details.
- Don’t be shy about re-shooting videos that don’t meet your standards. Chances are that some will bomb. Plan for this when creating a budget.
I referenced the following resources for this article.
New York Times
Internet Retailer
3 responses so far
Right on target. As a company that produces such pieces for websites we are always amazed that folks try to do this by themselves with little experience, rather than hire people that do it for a living. They’ll spend weeks doing beautiful websites only to have crappy video content. Sort of like the president of GM saying, wait, my 16 year old nephew does websites, let him do ours.
Walter Graff
BlueSky Media
Media Egg
Tom,
Great points…especially about pre-production! It’s the catalyst that makes or breaks the produced product. Auditioning talent, writing the script, determining all of your needs early on so that the day of the shoot goes flawless…it’s key. In terms of the lighting, I think you’re dead-on with the studio environment, much more control. I might add that in a studio you won’t have the sound challenges that can pop-up in a non-controlled environment. All in all…less distractions! Your days are much more productive, and that yields a higher ROI.
As a video producer I enjoy watching the essence and personality of a product or a company emerge as I engage in a project with my clients. I see a growing interest in the development of what I call for lack of a better word, “video Capability statements.” That is a short video piece that “personalizes” and brings to life the product or service. The reality in the ecommerce world is that “shopping cart conversion rates” are very low, and it may be that if the product, or service, or company itself is personalized with a carefully crafted video, that the conversion rate might increase, and benefit the bottom line. I believe the demand for quality, professionally crafted video, by small business customers with a web presence is going to increase exponentially over the next couple of years. That’s why I’m positioning my production company to take advantage of that trend.