We recently had the pleasure of hosting a webinar discussion with industry professionals – Rhyanna Cardillo (Ecommerce Project Manager, The Aje Collective); Jemma Fox (Head of Ecommerce & Marketing, Lucent Globe); and Roni Shif (Enterprise Customer Success Manager, Tolstoy).

The discussion, moderated by Karlie Vanderpluym (Solution Consultant, Convert Digital), focused on the impact of video in ecommerce, exploring how video can enhance brand engagement, drive revenue growth, as well as the latest industry trends.

Read on to find out what these industry experts had to say ...

What are the key trends you have observed?

Jemma Fox: A few years ago it was all about high production and high-quality videos, but there has been a huge shift towards authentic raw content – moving away from high-production video. 

Rhyanna Cardillo: Low-fi, authentic, short-form content is definitely trending as it helps humanise a brand. For example, the new trend of employee generated content – putting a face to a brand really helps drive brand loyalty. TikTok has also changed the way we consume media, as you only have a few seconds to capture an audience before they scroll on which is why short-form content performs so well.

Roni Shif: I have noticed that bigger brands have started leveraging short form video, customer videos and testimonials to humanise a brand. 

Is humanised content likely to drive engagement, conversion rate etc?

Roni Shif: Using reviews, testimonials and seeing a real-person demonstrate how to use a product through video definitely helps drive conversions. 

What type of content has historically worked best in your experience?

Rhyanna Cardillo: At Aje Athletica we create content for multi-channel use – whilst I do think there is value in creating content specifically for ecommerce, I dont think it's particularly necessary, especially when budgets and resources are lean. Raw, authentic content seems to work best as a revenue driving element. Each week I review our Tolstoy analytics, and I often find that the top five videos that drove the most revenue are mostly low-fi content – for example, some of the videos from our top this week are influencer and lifestyle content.

On the other hand, the way we use polished content is around the time of a new collection launch – it allows us to introduce features and benefits through a curated brand lens.

Jemma Fox: With the Lucent Globe branding, the more rogue the content, the better. What helped propel our brand initially was filming using our iPhone. We run with this style every single day. Polished videos have a place and they work well for some brands, but for us the raw authentic material that we use across all our channels works best – so behind the scenes, results videos, employee related content etc.

How can we make sure content can be used on multiple channels? What is the business approach?

Rhyanna Cardillo: Content does fatigue really quickly as we are consuming so much everyday as individuals, so it’s great to try and create more with less, for example, during a big campaign shoot, we will have a team capturing BTS low-fi content, and have other team members filming unboxing videos during the shoot. This is a great way to stretch every piece of content to avoid content fatigue. 

In terms of education for your brand, how do you utilise those on-site videos to educate people about your products?

Jemma Fox: Education is at the heart of what we do as we have a product that's relatively new for most consumers in Australia, so we have a variety of how-to and results videos that perform highly. One of our most popular videos is a ‘how this works’ video on a product page – it helps overcome initial questions from customers and has actually increased time spent on page by 150%. We find a lot of our customers are going to video over the text section, so video is definitely the preference on how to consume this type of information.

Following on from that, you obviously use employee generated content, do you find this has boosted authenticity and trust – has this become a key metric for your business?

Jemma Fox: Most of our content is employee generated content. We find it helps bring out personal touch and build connection. Polished content is too similar to our competitors, and we think having our team share tips with our customers helps grow brand trust. It also allows us to be reactive with content as with low-fi content you can get it to market quickly. 

In your experience at Tolstoy, where is video the most effective?

Roni Shif: Product pages are definitely where we see most customers making the purchase decision (or not) and we find video content can really close the gap. Leveraging video content can increase conversion as you’re able to visually demonstrate how a product can be used.

How does Tolstoy measure that success?

Roni Shif: Tolstoy measures the success through checking the engagement of the audience with the video placement. Down the funnel, we look at the ratio between how many people bought the products that were featured in the video, and lastly what was the conversion rate of the group that interacted with the video – did it influence decision-making or not. 

Has it impacted side speed? What's your experience with the implementation of video?

Jemma Fox: Site speed is crucial to any ecommerce brand, and is something that should be monitored but I’ve had no issues. The way Tolstoy loads on site is awesome and I haven’t experienced any problems with the widgets. Something to keep in mind is making sure the file sizes aren’t influencing site speed, but Tolstoy is able to mitigate this really well. 

Anything you use internally, particular software?

Jemma Fox: It’s pretty on the fly – we use iPhones, gimbels, we also have a studio at the back of the warehouse, and take trips to the local Woolworths and Coles to shoot content pretty much everyday. 

Rhyanna Cardillo: Lots of content is captured on the iPhone by our Social Media Manager, as well as on a camcorder and polaroid which is working well in the fashion industry at the moment. Most of our editing is done by our incredible graphic designers.

In terms of interactive video – do you have any shoppable videos to enhance customer experience? 

Jemma Fox: A good example of this is our weekly newsletter – it’s super raw, usually includes a hack, and we have recently started using Tolstoy. It’s great because we’re able to tag the products straight in the video and capture the transaction while customers are being entertained instead of them having to click through multiple pages.

Rhyanna Cardillo: Customers almost expect to watch a video to shop from it now and this is what's great about Tolstoy, there is the ability to click into the product from the video through the tagging feature.

Roni do you see lots of people using the shoppable features?

Roni Shif: Definitely, our best practice is to have the shoppable functionality for those who do want to buy right here, right now. 

In terms of best practice from Tolstoy's side, is there anything people should be aware of when trying to optimise video for their sites?

Roni Shif: I would suggest videos should be no longer than a minute long. The second thing is placement, you don't want to overload the website with unnecessary video components and elements, so ensure there is a strategy built around where and what is the goal of the video you are leveraging. 

Where do you think video is headed? Do we think it's still going to be low-fi / short form content? 

Jemma Fox: My prediction for video in the near future is live shopping. It’s already huge in Asia, and with TikTok shop being delayed to the Australian market, there is a great opportunity for Australian retailers to set themselves up with Tolstoy and start testing, and seeing what content converts and performs best for when TikTok shop is available. Also running live shopping events for VIP customers – potentially a retention strategy and can add value to customers.

Rhyanna Cardillo: I think more and more brands will start using video for pages like T&Cs – people don’t want to read through content anymore, they’d prefer to be told upfront through a short form video. Also live shopping events. 

Roni Shif: We’ll start to see more videos in emails, lots of brands are excited to use this feature as it definitely influences the click through and open rate as it’s more engaging for customers.

What is your top piece of advice for an ecommerce brand looking for a video strategy that drives results?

Jemma Fox: Start with your audience in mind, understand their pain points and how your brand or product can help solve those problems. Put this into video format, and try to leave the embarrassment of being in front of the camera at the door as there is the real opportunity to connect with your customer and have fun with it. Raw content is key.

Rhyanna Cardillo: Utilise low-fi content as it does work – make the most of content by repurposing it for different channels and stretching it as far as possible. We see great results from video on product pages as it allows the customer to see how the product looks on a body and how it moves. 

What is the strategy people should have in mind?

Roni Shif: It depends on the brand and their goals and audience, but the best practice is to launch videos where you have the most traffic – see what works best and optimise based on results. 

To enhance your video strategy, feel free to reach out to us at hello@convertdigital.com.au