A Guide to Shoppable Videos for 2023

Are you looking to sell something? 

Today, providing your customers with a worthwhile shopping experience means combining interactive elements with the most-consumed type of content: video. 

Shoppable videos to be exact.

Keeping online shoppers exclusively interested in your store is becoming increasingly difficult as more and more brands are joining the social media realm, heavily armed with their tailored marketing strategies. Luckily social media trends and consumer behaviour changes are constantly evolving, meaning there is always a way to stand out from the crowd. 

If you are hoping to become a salient competitor in the ecommerce industry, then shoppable videos just might be the key to making your dreams a reality. For all there is to know about shoppable videos, and how to make one of your own, keep reading!

Taking online shopping to a whole new level

Online shopping, for most of us, probably looks a lot like this:

Opening up your device → finding the online shopping app/website you wish to shop on → figuring out which category you want to shop under → scrolling for a bit → nothing’s taking your fancy so you scroll through a different category → again, nothing → you exit the app/wesbite without having made a purchase. 

While there is the odd occasion where we know exactly what we are looking for and where we want to buy it from, 9 times out of 10 we want the product to leap out at us and make us feel like we’ve found something worthwhile. 

This is where shoppable videos step in. 

Shoppable videos are interactive, lead-generating videos that feature products you want to sell; allowing viewers to purchase them directly from the video itself. 

When people watch the video, interactive elements pop up next to the product being sold. Clicking on these elements will allow the viewer to learn more information about the product and add it to their cart. 

Shoppable videos can benefit your marketing strategy by doing the following:

Build an emotional connection between customer and product

We don’t mean your customers are going to form a literal emotional connection to your products. 

The bottom line is that videos are able to tell a more complete story in comparison to static images. This story is that which allows the viewer to imagine themselves holding your product. As well as this, seeing products in action allows for viewers to trust them even more. 

Boost customer engagement 

According to MediaMind, video ads are 27.4 times more likely to be clicked on as opposed to standard, static image ads. The interactive links within the shoppable videos also allow for further engagement, as they are a clear call-to-action; making it near impossible for customers not to engage. 

Target campaigns to the right audiences

Just as the idea of targeting is crucial to any marketing campaign looking to reach specific demographics, shoppable videos are also not a one-size-fits-all tool. 

The beauty of shoppable videos is that they are flexible enough for you to customise their content to those who will benefit from it most. For example, you can target website visitors who came to your site through a certain campaign URL.

Improve conversion rates

When you reduce the number of steps a website visitor needs to take to complete their desired action, conversion rates generally improve. This is exactly what shoppable videos do. Video ads already catch more attention than static banner ads, and when you add a call-to-action on top of it (with the clickable product links) you make it much easier for your customer to take action after seeing something they like. 

Shoppable video examples

British fashion brand, Ted Baker, enlisted the creative mind of Guy Ritchie to produce two shoppable film advertisements in 2016. Since then, the brand has continued to run ecommerce video ads that merge interactivity and visual storytelling. Let’s take a look at what they’ve come up with.

In this shoppable video, viewers are given the opportunity to click on the on-screen pop ups to browse the products highlighted. A product description and its price is brought up and the clickable “shop now” button is displayed. 

Ted Baker’s shoppable video example teaches us that:

1. It’s not necessary to link every item. Even though the models are dressed head-to-toe in Ted Baker, only a select few garments and accessories are available to shop. The viewer’s attention is purposely directed towards specific products Ted Baker want to sell.
2. Take it slow. You need to provide your viewers with plenty of time to click on the products.
3. Add text. To guide the viewer.
4. Use complementary products. Take the opportunity to showcase items that work well together. You never know, you just might inspire someone to head to your website and buy something outside of the shoppable video.

Prepare, Create, Edit!

Upon setting out to create your shoppable video ad, you should identify the shoppable video platforms that will increase its chances of success. Oftentimes, these platforms are already video-focused; such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

Prepare: 

Preparation is always key. Remember, audiences want to form an emotional connection with a brand, so creating the perfect storyline for your shoppable video is crucial. Once the storyline is in place, you can decide the location, scenes, action and audio. Storyboarding is typically the best way to keep all of these tidbits organised!

Now, what’s a shoppable video without shoppable products? In this stage is where you should highlight which of your products you are looking to highlight and sell.

Film:

As previously shown in the Ted Baker example, keeping your scene lengths that tiny bit longer to allow for viewers to browse your products is essential for a successful shoppable video. Ensure each scene displays 1-2 products and is 3-5 seconds long, so as not to overload the viewer with too much information at once.

In terms of camera movements, make use of those that cater to lengthier shots, ie., slow zoom, pan and lots of tracking shots. To make the editing process easier, shoot each scene from three different perspectives, so as to enhance the storytelling element of your shoppable video. 

Edit: 

As far as editing goes, there are hundreds of credible editing programs out there. Think about how detailed you want your final edit to be and choose a program accordingly.

The future of shoppable videos

To put it simply, video is the new ‘window shopping’; an experience that has no end. Making new, daily activities – ie., scrolling through Instagram feeds or YouTube recommendations – and making them shoppable, is the future of retail. 

Shoppable videos are able to bridge the gap between discovery and purchase – getting rid of the messy in between parts. Google Data, Global, highlights this through their discovery of brands adding product feeds to their video action campaigns, achieving 60% more conversions at a lower cost. 

To wrap it up, consumers are looking for more interactive and engaging content from their favourite brands, while brands themselves are looking for better ways to smooth over the cracks that appear between marketing and purchasing. Shoppable videos can combat both. 

FAQ’s

How do shoppable videos work?

Shoppable videos are lead-generating, interactive videos that viewers can directly shop from by clicking on pop up links that appear on screen next to the product the brand is selling. 

How can you make your own shoppable video?

Prepare: a storyline, locations, scenes, action, audio and the products you want to sell.

Film: ensure each scene is 3-5 seconds long and displays 1-2 products at a time, use slow pan, zoom and tracking shots from 3 different perspectives.

Edit: utilise any credible editing program out there to help you achieve your final shoppable video.

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