Treepodia – The leading Product Video solution for e-commerce

A recent article in Internet Retailer states that:

“62% of U.S. adult Internet users watch videos on YouTube and other video-sharing web sites.”

Youtube, ranked by Alexa as the 4th most popular destination on the web and the 2nd most popular search engine, has recently announced it’s serving more than a billion views per day. A BILLION!

Check out the cool welcome clip Youtube offers newcomers:

What are the implications?

Simple:

• People are getting used to watching online video.
• People have come to not only enjoy online video, but to trust it as a medium.

Or In the words of Chad Hurley, CEO and Co-founder of YouTube:

“Clip culture is here to stay:
Short clips are voraciously consumed and perfect for watching a wide variety of content.”

What does this mean for ecommerce?

These high levels of acceptance and adoption are making video a de-facto must-have for eCommerce sites that wish to remain relevant in the online environment.

Quoting Internet Retailer again:

“Online video has emerged as a key component of successful online retailing that can not only engage consumers and lead to sales, but build store traffic and reduce customer service calls.”

The article gives examples of high-end, full productions videos such as Sears has done for back-to-school season with Disney star Selena Gomez but also delineates how different types of product videos, for different budgets, have proven effective for all level retailers.

…But video isn’t only for “the big boys”

You don’t need to be a mega store like Sears with a mega star like Gomez to see results from the addition of video.

A case in favor is EyeBuyDirect, One of the webs foremost suppliers of eyewear and a longtime Treepodia client, whose CEO Roy Hessel reports having:

“an overall 30% increase in product page conversion rates” with the addition of online videos.

We obviously think product videos are the way of the future for online retailers.
It seems however that we’re not alone…

Based on a survey published by InternetRetailer at the beginning of the year (2009), over forty percent of online retailers agree:

“…[The] survey finds that 43.3% of merchants will update their e-commerce sites with video this year, followed by 40% with personalized product recommendations, 36.7% with customer reviews and ratings, and 35% with product configuration tools…”

Video is #1 for 2009

Nothing cuter than a Playmobil businessman

Ecommerce sites are constantly looking for new ways to improve customer experiences in order to increase sales. While site optimization was listed as the number one reason for a site redesign, video is the number one feature these sites are adding.

Video is now considered even more lucrative than personalized product recommendation systems and customer rating/reviews tools!

Location Location Location

According to the article adding video alone isn’t enough. According to the CEO of retail web site design firm Tellus customer reviews and videos mustn’t be placed haphazardly:

“Customer reviews and product videos need to be grouped along with the other text and images on a page in a way that gives the shopper all the information they need to make an informed buying decision. Some retailers think the review or the video by itself will generate a bigger sale, but that’s a misconception. These elements have to be part of a well-balanced design that pulls shoppers in, gives them multiple ways to see and explore merchandise and then makes it easy to complete the purchase.”

Auto Optimization Auto Optimization Auto Optimization

As a leading provider of ecommerce video solutions we’re obviously very pleased with the results of this survey. We believe that the most significant contribution we offer to this industry above and beyond what is quickly becoming the common practice is the automated optimization of product videos that ensures the gradual but stable increase of conversions and sales.