- Mar 4, 2021
Everything you need to know about the future of video content marketing!
What is Shoppable Video?
A shoppable video is an interactive format that contains clickable products and links to brands ecommerce. The viewer can then learn more about products or make a purchase. Some formats allow viewers to purchase directly from the video. This moves the consumer from discovery to purchase in seconds.
Types of Shoppable Video
Clickable Video
This type of video is typically seen across social media. It is designed for delivering information quickly and encouraging conversions. Videos are typically in short form with a few products shown. Interactivity is supported through product carousels or call-to-actions. These videos can also be integrated into ecommerce sites with the option to add product feeds and pricing details. The clickable overlay may allow the viewer to add products to a cart or make a direct purchase. 35% of brands using clickable, shoppable video have seen an increase in conversion rates.
Deep Content Video
These interaction videos feature chapter menus, questions and polls and resource links. They are focussed on providing information and analysing viewer preferences. So, deep content videos can typically be catered to the viewers tastes.
Immersive Video
These are focussed on immersing the viewer in a video experience. This could be via a choose your own adventure narrative or a 360 degree video scenario. For example, a consumer might be able to click around a 360 degree shoppable show room or investigate the interior of a car. They are likely to include a call-to-action so consumers can 'shop now' or 'book a test drive'.
Livestream shopping
Livestream shopping videos allow viewers to join virtual, real-time video events and purchase the products being shown. Interactive video platform, Smartzer, helps brands to go live by allowing them to integrate their player into the Demandware API and pull up to date product information into the editor to be showcased alongside the live stream. Viewers can then select products shown in a carousel to add to their basket and purchase without leaving the stream. Often in livestreams, viewers can chat with brands, providing a personal and community feel to shoppable video. Livestreamed commerce is expected to account for a fifth of all e-commerce sales in China in 2021.
Key Considerations
So you want to use shoppable video? Here are some of the key things to consider before choosing the perfect type for your content.
Audience
Firstly, brands need to think about their audience and how they will want to receive the shoppable video. Does the content need to be informative, entertaining or both? To be able to appeal to the correct audience, brands need to consider who would be looking for their product and how they would want to come across it.
Strategy
Could existing strategies be implemented into shoppable video formats? This could save marketers a lot of time and money. However, it is important to consider the size and length of the content for campaign optimisation and whether consumers will respond to it. Coming up with ad specifications and choosing the right shoppable format from a CPM and audience perspective is important to maximise impact.
Creative
Is it possible to make existing content shoppable? Recycling existing media into interaction videos can also be a time and money saver. Content should be carefully designed and laid out according to chosen platforms. Carefully chosen, tailored designs will engage more consumers and encourage conversions.
Social media platforms are doing their bit to support shoppable video...
Instagram and Facebook have introduced Marketplace and Livestream. Even TikTok is catching up, supporting a variety of shoppable video formats such as interactive in feed ads, livestreams and more. YouTube and Amazon also feature in-house live shopping experiences for consumers. As a result, the pressure is on for brands to seize the opportunities offered by interaction videos.
Here are some examples of how brands have used shoppable video..
MINI COUNTRYMAN X SMARTZER: INTERACTIVE FACEBOOK ADS
The Smartzer custom interactive overlay was used to combine existing MINI Countryman Campaign assets, creating a standalone interactive experience that effortlessly blended with the onsite and Social environments. The interactive player was then placed as a call-to-action URL within the Facebook ads manager on a range of different ad sets and campaigns. Alongside a smart media plan orchestrated by the team at Wavemaker UK the ads were run across the Facebook ad network, for audiences to find and engage with. While interacting with the video, users were able to discover the range of different new features on the car and click-through to the MINI Countryman landing page.
WALMART X TIKTOK: HOLIDAY SHOPALONG
In December 2020, Walmart and TikTok joined forces to create a shoppable livestream. Overcoming obstacles put in place by the global pandemic, influencers demonstrated their favourite Walmart fashion pieces. Viewers could buy the products by clicking pop up pins and adding them to their cart. A mobile check out would appear at the end of the stream for viewers to complete purchases. The livestream shopping experience created excitement among fans and generated a sense of urgency that encouraged viewers to buy products instantly. The real-time stream replicated the benefits of in-person events online to a community of fashion fans.
- Mar 3, 2021
The past year has been a weird one. With people told to stay home and events cancelled, it has been hard to find anything to look forward to. However, brands and events have been looking to overcome this barrier to create exciting experiences for viewers to watch online at home.
In 2021, London Fashion Week was entirely digital with fashion shows being live streamed online. 95 brands took part this season with the likes of Bora Aksu filming at the Tate Britain for an exciting and immersive at home viewing experience.
On the LFW website, viewers can browse the collections featured or enter the DiscoveryLAB to discover and connect with fresh, emerging brands. Additionally, the show was fully open for wholesale to shop live and follow links to the designers digital showrooms and contacts for sales enquiries under the 'industry' tab. Fashion enthusiasts could listen to podcasts and read stories about trends, brand origins and more.
LONDON show ROOMS provides an opportunity for emerging British designers to promote their brands to international audiences and Positive Fashion provided conversations about environmental, diversity, supply chain, ethics and responsibility in fashion.
People could also shop live fashion drops and collections from LFW designers and audience participation was encouraged by #LFW to start conversations about the event.
Video interactivity was encouraged by luxury handbag brand SEVDA LONDON. Presented by the British Fashion Council, the form of streaming commerce features women modelling the brands latest handbag release. The viewer can click on the products to find out more and the option to "SHOP" with the call-to-action. The viewer can also click to reveal the side bar that shows the whole collection to shop from the video. SEVDA also features on JOOR, a wholesale platform that supports video interactivity for product viewing. Here, retailers can technically shop live streamed fashion shows after release. This form of streaming commerce is an exciting new way for buyers to virtually view collections.
While in-person shows are prohibited, brands must think of new ways to reach viewers at home. By mastering video interactivity and streaming commerce, brands could reach immersive, inclusive and innovative new heights during LFW 2021.
- Mar 1, 2021
Updated: Jun 15, 2021
STAY TUNED: FOR A LIVE STREAM SHOPPING TAKEOVER
With online shopping constantly evolving, streaming commerce is preparing to dominate the industry.
The Evolution of Streaming Commerce
Streaming commerce has been around for a while. Telly shopping channel, QVC, has been streaming since the 1980's! However, In the twenty-first century, brands are looking to make live shopping even more accessible to reach new audiences and boost sales.
Chinese streaming commerce giant, Taobao, is taking live shopping to new heights. With over 1 billion product listings as of 2016, the combined transaction volume of Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com reached 3 trillion yuan in 2017, more than that of all US e-commerce sites combined. Chinese, livestream influencer, Viya, filmed with Kim Kardashian before singles day (similar to Black Friday) and managed to sell 150,000 bottles of perfume in seconds.
The sheer scale of revenue generated from live shops in China alone is enough to make any brand think seriously about optimising their content for streaming commerce in 2021. COVID 19 has accelerated this move.
Live Shopping Platforms
There are several ways in which brands can take their video content live. Here are some of the platforms that are hot on China's heels.
NTWRK: Exclusive Live Shop Drops
Founded in 2018, the streaming app exclusively sells streetwear and has become an essential buying experience for fans of Supreme, Off-White, Yeezy, Louis Vuitton and more. Viewers watch a series of live shows for product drops with the chance to get virtual tickets to enter a lottery-style system where they may win the opportunity to buy rare, one of a kind items. Streetwear is just a small category, with the site selling a variety of items like cookbooks, toys and artwork. The exclusivity of NTWRK's luxury fashion drops gives fans an exciting and personal experience with brands. By signing up to live shop events fans can buy products before anyone else.
Google Shoploop: Live Shopping Stories
Google Shoploop is a platform for discovering new beauty brands via streaming commerce. Viewers can watch tutorials from real people and shop the products straight from the video. While watching the 90 second demonstrations, viewers can save items to buy later or purchase straight away by clicking a call-to-action to be taken to the merchants ecommerce. Viewers can follow their favourite creators to keep up with the hottest trends. This is a great way for brands to stay connected with their fans.
Bambuser: Shoppable Live Broadcasts
Bambuser helps brands interact with thousands of customers through engaging, shoppable streaming commerce on their websites. The add on lets brands embed a code on their website that allows them to set up live stream events on ecommerce. Brands can then go live through the app and let their customers shop live alongside the stream. Viewers can add products to their basket from a shoppable carousel without leaving the video. They can also open a chat room where customers can interact with store associates to ask questions about products. This brings the benefits of in-person shopping online and helps build customer trust and loyalty. Bambuser's stream offerings include one-to-many or one-to-one videos.
Smartzer: Shoppable Video
Smartzers interactive video platform allows brands to create shoppable live events for their ecommerce. Every live shopping event features a product carousel alongside the stream. Here, viewers can select products demonstrated in the video and add to their basket, with the option to purchase without leaving the stream. Brands use Smartzer’s player that can be fully integrated into the Demandware API, to instantly pull up-to-date product information into the Smartzer editor and player to be showcased to viewers. After the ticketed event, brands can continue to show the streams on ecommerce sites to help turn views into qualified traffic.