- Mar 30, 2021
The pandemic has changed the way we live drastically. We have had to look for new ways to overcome obstacles set by the instruction to 'stay at home' and thankfully, science and technology have come to our rescue.
Video technology has rapidly developed over the past year, from Zoom, to Netflix, to streaming on social media. This growth has been accelerated by COVID since video has provided people with a virtual solution to connect with others.
In this post, we will investigate just how we have used video to adapt to a new, socially distanced life and how interactive video technology has progressed and changed for the better.
How interactive video has helped religion during the pandemic
Livestream has helped many congregations bring people together virtually. For example, Conservative synagogues can now livestream Shabbat services. Here, video conferencing has been embraced as the only viable and safe solution to maintaining community during the pandemic. Now, for many, the needle has moved, and post-pandemic synagogues intend to keep those options available indefinitely. The convenient online services mean that people do not need to travel long distances to attend places of worship, they can practice their faith using technology from the comfort of their own home. This means that for many, livestreamed services will remain a part of practice for many religions in a post pandemic world.
How interactive video has helped e-commerce
As a result of the pandemic, marketers have looked to find new ways of reaching potential customers when bricks and mortar stores are closed. Interactive video is set to become the biggest video content marketing format out there. With the market rapidly growing as 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. This was 85% in 2020, 87% in 2019, 81% in 2018, 63% in 2017 and 61% in 2016. So, it isn't a surprise that many brands are using the clickable, immersive interactive format to increase engagement, click-through-rate and conversion. Consumers click on brand videos and can instantly find out information about products, prices, sizing and more with the option to add to basket or make a purchase without leaving the video. See above for French fashion brand, Promod's video made with Smartzer's interactive video platform. Using the format, brands can tag videos with product links so consumers can interact. Promod's interactive and shoppable video successfully brings the benefits of offline shopping, online. This gives customers the confidence to make purchases when they cannot see products in real life.
How interactive video has helped education
Interaction video turns every passive viewer into an active participant. Therefore, the format is perfect for engaging and educating students online. Classes conducted on interactive video platforms would follow a format similar to that found in a traditional classroom. The events would take place live on a fixed schedule. With video interactivity, not only can teachers lecture, take live questions, and respond, but the students can also see and interact with one another, just as they would if they were all in the same physical classroom. Conversations would happen in real time, and teachers could see whether students were alert and interested or bored and disengaged. This means teachers can adapt and respond to student feedback. Thanks to interaction video, education has been less compromised during the pandemic. It is likely that in a post-pandemic world, video interactivity will continue to aid the education system and could quite possibly mark the end of snow days.
How interactive video has driven virtual events
Online livestream venue StageIt has been helping to connect fans with lesser known artists for years. Here, acts stream live from the comfort of their homes via laptop cameras. Through an interactive chat room feature, fans can communicate with artists by asking questions and requesting songs. With venues closed, StageIt enables fans to financially support artists through a monetized system and acts can show their appreciation for viewers via a virtual tip jar. Through interaction video streams, fans can win prizes such as band merch or one-on-one Zoom sessions. Bigger artists such as The Weeknd have held live, interactive virtual concerts. In August 2020 he took to TikTok drawing over 2 million total viewers and raising over $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative. Adam Lambert hosted a series of live streams in February 2021 discussing Stonewall day and up and coming LGBTQ artists. Eddie Vedder, Phoebe Bridgers and more performed virtually for the 34th annual Tibet House US Benefit concert. These have been a welcome alternative to completely cancelled event, entertaining people even when they cannot attend in person. Virtual events are incredibly accessible, inclusive and have opened up a whole new way for fans to engage with artists. This has caused organisers to consider continuing with some virtual events following the pandemic.
For more information about how to create interactive video and livestreams click here!
- Mar 26, 2021
Updated: Jun 18, 2021
Interactive video is the next big thing for marketing.
With the global pandemic influencing a lot of businesses and the way they connect with customers, interactive video has provided a handy solution to bridging the gap between the offline and the online. In fact, 70% of marketers say interactive video engages audiences “very well,” and 68% of marketers believe it will continue to become a super important trend in the video industry.
Many consumers trust video more than static images as it provides a detailed view of a product. The engaging, clickable element provides a fun and engaging experience that stays with the consumer. As a result, engagement rates are high, click through rates increase and conversions sky rocket.
So, here is a basic overview of how to make interactive video.
Interactive Video: A Breakdown
Interactive video doesn't have to be difficult. Platforms like Smartzer, allow brands to create immersive, interactive content that engages and converts.
Brands can tag videos with products or information via a clickable overlay.
Hotspot technology allows consumers to interact by clicking, hovering, scrolling and dragging areas of the video
Brands can add products via images, text, URL's, product feeds, product API's or manually.
Videos can be imbedded seamlessly onto e-commerce sites and shared across social media
Interactive videos can also be used by agencies in banner adds, pre-roll ads etc.
Types of Interactive Video
There are a variety of ways to use interactive video depending on your content. Brands can make new and existing content interactive by choosing the most appropriate format:
Videos can be shoppable with hotspots displaying product info and options to buy
360 views might give the user the ability to drag the screen and see in all directions
Branching gives users different path options allowing them to customise what they see, experiences can be gamified
Data inputs allow users to enter information like name, age etc.
Quizzes and polls combine buttons and branching to deliver an assessment and reveal a personalised result at the end of the video
Customers can shop live through streaming commerce, watching videos and clicking the products shown to buy in real time.
How Interactive Video Engages
Interactive video can help engage a viewer for 44% longer than linear video. The clickable element immerses the viewer, making them less likely to get distracted. By gamifying the experience the viewer actually enjoys and remembers the brand content. Therefore, the viewer remembers the ad and is encouraged to visit the brands e-commerce site to learn more or make a purchase.
How Interactive Video Informs
By clicking on areas of the video a viewer can instantly find information about the products being shown without leaving the window. Here, products can be demonstrated in a detailed way. 360 degree videos consumers get a realistic view of a product as if seeing it in person. Likewise, with livestreams, viewers see products in real-time, giving them the confidence to buy. This shortens the path to purchase as the consumer is instantly informed about the product early on in the funnel.
How Interactive Video Converts
Compared to standard, interactive video is entirely measurable and converts at a rate of more than 11%. In fact, Smartzer’s interactive video platforms prove that by using these formats to tag videos, brands can increase their conversion rates by 4x their linear rates. Interactive video has enabled stronger analytics. You can track clicks within the video and analyse different paths taken, data inputted etc. Useful call-to-actions like “add to carts” measure the popularity of products and even purchases completed.
Summary
There are several platforms available that will show you exactly how to make interactive video. Click here to discover the options!
The exciting, engaging format can successfully convert when it may not be possible to sell in person. In a rapidly advancing digital world, marketers should take advantage of the format to boost sales.
- Mar 25, 2021
Text, standard videos, graphics and gifs are great content marketing formats. However, these still remain ultimately passive user experiences. No matter how exciting, interesting or attention grabbing, only interactive video has the power to turn the passive viewer into an active participant.
Brands can tag videos with products on an interactive overlay. This creates hotspots that viewers can click, swipe, spin and more to find out information about products. Using interactive video content marketing can provide businesses with clear metrics as every click that occurs in the video can be measured! This makes it a valuable tool for measuring the effectiveness of campaigns.
Check out these 5 examples for inspiration on how to make interactive video that engages, immerses and impresses your consumer.
1. SHOPPABLE VIDEOS ON E-COMMERCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Smartzer's interactive video platform allows users to turn new and existing video content into dynamic, immersive clickable marketing content. Using an interactive overlay, brands tag videos with product images, URL's, text, via product feeds and API's. These videos are shareable across social media and can be implemented seamlessly into e-commerce landing pages.
Valentino used Smartzer's software to create a video featuring multiple collections. Viewers could click on an item modelled to open a popup and add the product to their bag, or follow a link to e-commerce. The shoppable carousel alongside the video allowed viewers to browse as the video played.
The Valentino shoppable video experience included the following features:
Seamless Add to Basket integration giving users the ability to shop instantly on the Valentino website
Shoppable carousel alongside the video that features all items
Sharing across all social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter
Campaign launched globally with each market seeing an automatically language and currency optimised version of the shoppable video experience
Automatically optimised for mobile experience
2. INTERACTIVE LIVESTREAM
The Bambuser app allows brands to incorporate livestream into their video content marketing strategies. The add on lets brands embed a code on their e-commerce that allows them to set up streams one-to-one or one-to-many. Brands upload product links prior to the stream so that viewers can shop along by adding items to their baskets from a shoppable carousel. There is a chat room that allows consumers to communicate with stream hosts, by asking questions or giving feedback. Bambuser brings the benefits of in-store shopping online.
Bambuser previously worked with Swiss electronics retailer, Kjell. “One thing we are always striving for is to have the best service in retail,” says Jonas Swärdh, Head of Education at Kjell & Company. “We wanted our sales personnel to meet our customers online to show them that our company's service is off the charts". So, they set up a one-to-one streaming service with the app.
Features:
service available in 126 Kjell stores
800 store associate hosts available to take calls
bespoke one-to-one customer service experience
e-commerce booking system
video chat, audio chat or text only chat options
3. GAMIFICATION
Through gamification, you can easily convey your brands message while educating and entertaining your audience. Through branching technology you can easily gain data from the choices your consumer makes. Cinema8 helps brands create gamified experiences through interactive video. Various interactive actions can be connected to the clickable areas on the video. These buttons, hotspots, links, images can serve your intended purpose such as opening a web site, jumping a specific part on the video, opening another video, opening popups, audio or trigger something else. Cinema8's platform lets brands create immersive video content through drag and drop methods. Videos can be made interactive in minutes without needing any technical knowledge and skill while creating the contents.
Above an example of Cinema8's gamified recruitment experience. In the video two employees are working in the same office, the company manager wants to choose someone for management. The viewer acts as a manager to answer the question 'What makes a better leader?'. This video was prepared for International Women's Day to discuss ideas of gender equality.
Features:
Clickable hotspots
Time queues
Data measuring
Personality results, an accurate outline of your viewer
High engagement rates reduce user drop-off
4. VIRTUAL REALITY 360 EXPERIENCES
VRCraftworks high-tech platform allows brands to creat 360 degree virtual realities for viewers. Unlike traditional user interfaces, a 360 VR experience places the user inside the video. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to delve into the created worlds. VR can give users a near real life experience allowing these applications to evoke real emotion and presence within the created environment. The platforms partnership with Quark Expeditions saw the company embed the 360 degree video within an application. Using an innovative video compression technique, VRCraftworks deployed the 10G video within the application as a 1.25G file. This allowed for the highest good quality distribution.
Results:
unique method of selling a £15,000 holiday
effective insight into Antartica
immersive VR experience
5. B2B INTERACTIVE WHOLESALE
JOOR's interactive video platform supports buying with confidence through dynamic and 360 degree imagery. Brands can share their collections and make shoppable videos and images by adding hotspots. The interaction videos allow retailers to clearly see products online by clicking, zooming and spinning. The dynamic interaction videos provide stylistic content of shoppable designer interviews and runway shows. The call-to-actions encourage a "see now, buy now" philosophy. Brands can also personalise and merchandise looks for virtual market appointments with the edit story board. This adjustable feature creates a bespoke experience for retailers looking to buy products.
Sustainable fashion brand, Tribe Alive, streamlined processes and powered wholesale growth with JOOR. Showrooms alone weren’t getting the Tribe Alive mission across to buyers fully. Wholesale success depended on finding a way to consistently communicate the brand’s story because it’s an essential part of their product.
Results:
200% company growth
138% retailer growth
Effective story telling of the brand's sustainability
Effective retailer interaction and understanding through interactivity