The Impact of Video on E-tail

Friday, June 13th, 2008 by Greg Howlett

The Impact of Video on E-tail

There were a few presentations from Internet Retailer about video that piqued my interest. Dave Witzig from ShopNBC discussed the impact of video on their highly successful ecommerce site and made some very strong statements that should be of interest to everyone.

1) Product videos should be your focus. ShopNBC has 6,000 1-3 minute product videos (representing half of their total SKUs). Focus on these videos primarily before going into other areas.

2) Customers that watch videos convert at twice the rate of customers who do not. Yes, you heard that right. That being said, he did not say what percentage of customers watch videos.

Because of the growing broadband penetration, video is becoming more and more mainstream. In fact, Witzig said that watching video online is now the fastest-growing form of consumer entertainment.

Remember that results will vary based on the demographic and your product. If your demographic is older, it still may be too early for you to jump onto this bandwagon. However, for some of you, now is the time to start thinking about this enhancement to your business.

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17 comments on “The Impact of Video on E-tail”

The impact of video on E-tail | Contagious Solutions Says:

June 13th, 2008 at 11:57 am

[...] Howlett from Marketing Pilgrim had a great quote coming from a learning he had from the Internet Retailers conference that just [...]
Jordan McCollum Says:

June 13th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Ohhhhh. I was sitting here wondering why a store with NBC merchandise would even be at IR. (Much as I would love a Law & Order T shirt.)

But ShopNBC is a NBC-owned home/online shopping site. The video is footage of description and displays from their home shopping network, so it’s already footage they had shot, too.

Nice cost saving technique.
Internet Retailer 2008 Live Blogging + Commentary Digest | Get Elastic Says:

June 13th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

[...] Marketing Pilgrim’s Greg Howlett shares his thoughts on social media marketing for ecommerce. Update: Greg just posted positive feedback on a session about the impact of online video on e-tailing. [...]
Jayson Says:

June 13th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Wow – I had no idea that videos helped convert so well. I see some that are absolutely annoying and I see some that are done perfectly. I agree, it probably depends a lot on demographics and the product but video is catching on and can be very persuading during the purchase/research process.

thanks for the info.
Share Results Blog » Blog Archive » Using Video to Increase Sales Says:

June 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

[...] Greg Howlett at Marketing Pilgrim is attending Internet Retailer 2008, and he reported that Dave Witzig from ShopNBC shared the [...]
RIchard Srery Says:

June 15th, 2008 at 9:11 am

I was aware that some video would convert but not as well as is implied here by the ShopNBC case study. That is great news.
Symbian Says:

June 15th, 2008 at 4:10 pm

Video demonstration could clarify advantages of your product.

Symbian’s last blog post..Nokia S60 Symbian Windows Live client available in Europe
Youtube voegt enkele nieuwe fucties toe. Says:

June 15th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

[...] zoekwerk blijkt ook Greg het daar eens me te zijn want in een ander artikel heeft hij het over the impact of video on e-tail . Een conferentie die hij blijkbaar bijwoonde waar Dave Witzig het volgende zei : Customers that [...]
PS3 Says:

June 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm

50% is a conversion rate to dream off but like you say in the article, stats need proper context. It would be so much more useful to know how many people actually watch the videos, percentage wise.
Eva White Says:

June 18th, 2008 at 1:35 am

It makes sense that videos will convert more people. Afterall isn’t that what TV advertising is all about.

Eva White’s last blog post..Canada’s Apology To The Indian People
PS3 Says:

June 18th, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Apart from the fact that we are watching on a PC, not on a commercial break.
Raj Krishnaswamy Says:

June 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am

And what does the former boss Jack Welch think of all this? This is phenomenal in my opinion. Another hit by the marketing gurus.
Enterprise Ecommerce » Blog Archive » Video Influence On ECommerce Says:

September 12th, 2008 at 5:24 pm

[...] Comments [...]
sir jorge Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

Hmm, I’m not sure if there is going to be a huge influence.

sir jorge’s last blog post..Role Models Review
Using Video to Increase Engagement Says:

November 20th, 2008 at 7:01 am

[...] fact, even ShopNBC has seen how video can increase conversions. As Greg Howlett at Marketing Pilgrim reported, customers that watch videos convert at twice the rate of customers who do [...]
Convert video to gif for email + Twilight demo » Style Campaign » ANNA YEAMAN’S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL AND STYLISH EMAIL MARKETING Says:

December 31st, 2008 at 5:08 pm

[...] Witzig from ShopNBC reported that customers that watch their videos convert at twice the rate of customers who [...]
Using Video to Increase Engagement | aw-aw.com Says:

January 22nd, 2009 at 11:10 am

[...] fact, even ShopNBC has seen how video can increase conversions. As Greg Howlett at Marketing Pilgrim reported, customers that watch videos convert at twice the rate of customers who do [...]

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