- Nov 8, 2022
Updated: Jan 17, 2023
As the lines between content and commerce are blurring, shoppable and interactive videos are becoming increasingly popular amongst brands. A broad range of brands from Valentino, BMW, Samsung and JD Sports embracing this new format to maximise the value of their content. The technologies that enable brands to offer shoppable experiences are becoming increasingly cost effective and easy to implement, driving exponential growth in the use of shoppable video.
Here are 3 key reasons for brands to apply interactive video technology to their content:
1. To Make It Easy For Customers To Learn More About A Brand And Their Products
Brands are spending growing amounts of money on video content used to tell the brand story and to showcase their products. However, for consumers, it can be a very lengthy, if not impossible task to find the products that are being featured. This results in a huge missed opportunity for brands, as consumers simply won’t have the time and willingness required to search for the products online. Especially when we live in a world where instant access to anything is the norm.
By adding an interactive and shoppable overlay to videos, brands are able to transform their existing and future content into a high impact format. Consumers are able to find out more information about the featured items instantly - by simply clicking on them.
The interactive video overlay can be used in a broad range of ways:
Shopping focus: Show key product information with the ability to shop or pre-order the products directly from the video.
Educational / informational focus: Show more information about certain items such as details about designers, features, materials, sustainability related topics.
Adding an interactive overlay offers a seamless way for consumers to find out more information and to shop products, especially for mobile users where the typical navigation processes are more and more complex.
By giving easy access to information through the use of interactive and shoppable videos, customers engage more with the brand, remember the brand and products, and are more likely to make a purchase at some point.
2. To Make Their e-Commerce Experience Stand Out, Increasing Session Duration
Having an e-commerce site that simply lists all the shoppable products is no longer enough for the modern consumer. With the rise of the expectation of “Shoppertainment” brands need to find ways to transform their websites into experiences. In parallel to this, video is now the number 1 format used to engage consumers and a major contributor to purchasing decisions. According to Shopify’s Future of Commerce 2022 Report, 46% of consumers want to watch a video about a product before they buy.
Given these trends, shoppable and interactive videos offer a perfect way for brands to create an outstanding e-commerce experience. These formats can be used to include highly engaging videos across the e-commerce sites, from the homepage to campaign and category pages, as well as product pages. By making the videos interactive and shoppable, consumers are also given a seamless way to discover more about the products they are interested in via easy sight navigation.
By offering these interactive experiences, site dwell time increases and consumers have a stronger connection to brands, who are therefore more likely to shop products.
3. To Gain Access To Detailed Video Interaction Data For Performance Monitoring As Well As For Retargeting
The data most brands are used to from videos is limited to number of views and in some cases the view duration. In comparison to the level of data available across the rest of e-commerce, video in its basic format can be considered a black box. A black box with huge amounts of potential.
Adding an interactive overlay to videos unlocks a new source of data. Every interaction with the video generates a data point. An average view of an interactive video generates 44 actionable data points. This data can be utilised for 3 main purposes:
Performance measurement: Understand how a video is performing for certain key metrics such as engagement rate and click-through rate. Brands are now able to see in depth details for which products viewers are interacting with in their videos, with breakdown for different markets, distribution channels and devices
Creative insights: Using video interaction data to understand how the creative is performing; brands can now have visibility into what is happening in the video itself when certain interactions increase and decrease. These insights help inform future creative decisions to drive the highest possible impact from interactive videos
Re-targeting: There will be a large number of shoppable video viewers who click on the products to see more details, but don’t make an immediate purchase. However, based on their interaction with the video, these viewers can now be retargeted based on this data.
The benefits of utilising shoppable and interactive video technology are evident. It makes the customer purchase journey seamless. E-Commerce experiences stand out. And it facilitates the collection of a wealth of actionable data.
Want to learn more about shoppable and interactive video tech? Book a Demo here today!
- Sep 14, 2022
Discover the successful shoppable live stream of Bloomingdale's with Yves Saint Laurent launching their very latest Beauty Tech innovation
Bloomingdale's AE used Smartzer’s interactive live stream platform to promote along with Yves Saint Laurent their new device. This device allows the creation of up to 4000 lipstick shades! Using patented technology from Perso, the smart at-home lip color creator blends and dispenses your bespoke lip shade in a creamy, velvet-matte finish. This is currently the latest innovation in Beauty tech in the market. Thanks to instant live selling viewers could see in real-time the functionality of this product and add it to their cart directly.
This live stream was hosted in both Arabic and English by the regional make-up artist Iman Boutari. Besides showcasing the new device, Iman did a make-up tutorial using other YSL Beauty products that viewers could buy in just a few clicks.
All products used on this interactive live stream were featured at their corresponding time on the side in a form of product cards. Additionally, viewers could look for their desired product by scrolling on the bottom carousel. Another great particularity about this case study is that viewers could click to participate in a draw for these products. This increased the users' attendance rate.
Smartzer’s interactive live stream platform supported Bloomingdale's in what will be the first of many shoppable live stream events. Live shopping is the new norm for trust-worthy brands that are confident showcasing the functionality of their products in real-time.
- Sep 9, 2022
Have you ever wondered how is it possible to add interactivity to an existing video? What's the technology behind interactive video platforms?
First of all, what makes a video interactive? The definition of interactive video can take many forms. Let's say it’s a digital video that supports user interaction through clicks, touches, or taps. It is a video that goes beyond “play” and “pause.”
Interactive video software can add a layer of interactivity to any pre-existing video. In Smartzer, through years of experience, we found out the best solution is to add this layer with tags. By simply dragging and dropping them, the tag acts like a hotspot on the video that supports interactivity through clicks.
Video interactivity is mostly used to create shoppable videos. That's why the tags added are usually products from the brand. In some interactive video platforms, these products can be imported from the brand's product catalog through their API. This way the viewers not only can add to the cart products, but they can see real-time availability, pricing, etc.
Additionally, interactive video platforms like Smartzer go above and beyond importing the product catalog and allow brands to export an interactive video responsive in all formats. Brands can then share the link throughout any social platform, email newsletter, etc.
In conclusion, the technology behind an interactive video is complex when it comes to responsiveness and design. That’s why most brands reach out to third-party companies that have the knowledge and expertise to create high-quality interactive content.