People are still obsessed with video. You only have to look at how TikTok has blown up in recent years to see how desperately people want to consume video content.
Alongside video-driven channels like TikTok and YouTube, all social media platforms now have the capacity for creating and sharing different types of video.
In other words, video marketing has an enormous potential reach.
What’s more, video marketing has the power to persuade. 84 percent of consumers say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service through watching a video.
So, video not only has the potential to drive more traffic to your e-commerce store but also convince visitors to make purchases.
In this post, I’m going to share some particularly effective examples of e-commerce video marketing along with actionable tips to help you emulate the success of the companies shown here.
8 Best E-Commerce Video Marketing Examples
1. PopSockets
Explainer videos are a classic type of marketing video simply because they work well. With this type of video, you have the opportunity to target new customers as well as those in the consideration stage of your sales funnel.
You get to show off your product, explain how it works, and outline key features. Explainers are the perfect type of video to turn a potential buyer into a customer.
In this example, PopSockets strays from the classic, stuffy how-to with this video for a new product, the PopCase.
It’s a short explainer video showcasing an easy-to-use PopSockets product. If your products are more complex than this, you might need a little more explaining.
Either way, you should keep your video simple and to the point like this one from PopSockets. Note the company’s simple instructions, such as “Slide to grip” and how it utilizes both visuals and text to get the point across quickly.
Choose a few key features to highlight like PopSockets. Then showcase your product in all its glory.
2. Bloom & Wild
It’s important that you do more than simply display a product in a video. You need to bring it to life by showing it in use. The beauty of video, as opposed to static product images, is that it helps you achieve that.
Tutorial videos show products in use, in real life. As such, potential new customers find it easier to imagine themselves using the product. While you help existing customers make better use of your product and keep them engaged.
A tutorial is an opportunity to address any questions new and existing users may have. In other words, provide solutions to customer problems with your video marketing. This is exactly what Bloom & Wild does with a fantastic tutorial video:
Bloom & Wild knows its audience and gives them what they want with this video.
Similarly, you can use tutorials to give your customers insider tips and expert advice. Consumers appreciate valuable content with information they may not be able to find elsewhere. Plus, you get to prove that your brand is the expert in your category.
Bloom & Wild also integrates the benefits of its products well in the video. For example, they give viewers a casual reminder that they send flowers in bud, so they bloom and get better over time. It’s by no means a sales pitch. But still, an extremely effective way to persuade viewers to buy the product.
Finally, you’ll also notice that they use a call to action (CTA) at the end of the video, “Tag us in your pics using the hashtag #bloomandwild.” Consider what you want to achieve with your video and don’t forget to include a CTA to that purpose.
3. Etsy
In this day and age, it’s important to show that there are real people behind brands. Consumers want to buy from sellers that aren’t just a bunch of corporate robots.
Etsy uses a ton of behind-the-scenes videos to emphasize the fact their platform is made up of small businesses and individuals. Here’s one such example:
@etsy Brb, going to take a tufted-rug-making class now. 🌀 Vid by Berlin-based artist and Etsy seller @zeyu.studio #processvideos #rugmaking #homedecorinspo
♬ original sound – Etsy
In the video, you see how an Etsy seller makes their products. The nature of Etsy lends itself well to this kind of thing as their main product categories are handmade and one-of-a-kind items.
What’s particularly nice about this kind of video is that your wares stop being just products. They’re now part of a bigger story.
Like Etsy, you can use behind-the-scenes videos to humanize your brand. Show your processes and feature the real people involved.
Derek Rasmussen from Outdoor Vitals told us recently how they saw an opportunity in creating product videos and content that highlighted their products without being too promotional. Their YouTube channel focuses on the kind of lifestyle that their customers aspire to, with videos on hiking tips, tutorials on hiking and backpacking gear, and beautiful scenic documentaries on hiking trails.
4. Beardbrand
Another way to add a sense of authenticity to your e-commerce brand is to feature real, happy customers. There’s no better way to convince others how great your product or brand is than using a review, testimonial, or customer story video.
Though there’s a fine line here and you have to be careful how you feature customer stories without making them sound staged or even fake.
Beardbrand has found a natural way to feature genuine, happy customers on its YouTube channel. They use both short and long transformation videos like this one:
There’s a great structure to the Beardbrand videos like this. It starts with the issues (style and function, in this case) and ends with a delighted, sharp-looking customer after they’ve had a grooming session featuring Beardbrand’s products.
Like Beardbrand, you should use storytelling to your advantage. Note how their videos evoke emotion in the viewer with headlines, such as “Drummer Gets First Haircut He Is Satisfied With In 20 Years”, and “Barber Helps Man Realize His Incredible Beard Potential”.
5. Then I Met You
Consumers love to get on new trends. When they see a video featuring a hot new product, especially from an influencer or industry expert, they’re more likely to purchase it themselves.
This kind of social proof works particularly well on social media. The idea is to catch people while they’re browsing and spark their interest.
In this example, beauty brand Then I Met You shares a video from a “beloved beauty expert and aesthetician” raving about one of its products on Facebook:
It’s a good idea to share user-generated content, particularly from influential people, as it adds even more authority to your brand. Encourage users to tag you in their posts so you can find these videos easily. Select videos, like this example, where you can see customers using the product and sharing what they love about it.
6. MADE
When you post videos on social media, you must think carefully about the platform you’re using. Make videos that integrate naturally on the channel. That way, people don’t feel like they’re being advertised to, they’re just enjoying another piece of content.
On Instagram and Twitter, for example, you need to make videos short and snappy. That’s how people consume videos as they’re scrolling through their feeds on those channels. MADE does this well:
It’s a parody of a news item in which they squeeze humor into a short space. Moreover, the content of the video is current. It refers to the increase in people working from home and addresses the need to look smart for video meetings. Make your videos equally relatable.
7. Newegg
Live videos are extremely engaging. Viewers are able to make comments, engage with one another, ask questions, and you can even respond in real-time.
From an e-commerce perspective, it’s also interesting that you can see people’s immediate reactions to new products and feedback in the comments section.
In the following example from Newegg, users comment about the products being discussed alongside the live stream:
Like Newegg, you should also have a clear purpose and topic in your live video content. Nobody wants to watch a random stream of consciousness.
There’s a clear structure here in Newegg’s video. It’s an explainer video carried out in an expert interview style with a moderator. You can of course take other approaches such as going live at an event, doing a live tutorial, and so on. It all depends on what your audience desires.
8. Nike
Not all of your video marketing has to take place on your own channels. You can find relevant influencers and sponsor content on their channels, too. The benefit here is that you get to tap into an existing audience that’s interested in products in your industry.
Nike has been working with YouTube influencers successfully for some time. They first worked with the “What’s Inside?” channel in 2017. They must’ve seen a return on their investment as they still collaborate with the channel in 2021.
If you can develop a long-standing relationship with an influencer, it could be lucrative.
Bear in mind that you don’t need to have the budget of Nike nor work with massive influencers to create this type of video content. You can work with smaller influencers that have a niche audience relevant to your offering.
Conclusion
Video marketing is an effective way to drive traffic and conversions for your e-commerce store. That is as long as you produce great video content like the examples here.
There are a few common threads you may have noticed watching the videos above. For instance, you should use your videos to outline key features and benefits of your products, but not in an obvious, salesy way.
Make your videos authentic and relatable wherever possible. Also ensure that your videos provide genuine value—something useful or interesting to your specific audience.
