Video commerce is the practice of using shoppable videos to sell your products. Shoppable video might sound like it requires advanced technology, but implementation doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right video marketing apps, brands can create interactive videos from existing videos by adding information to shoppable elements.
According to John Modi, chief imagination officer at MakerFlo, video commerce is more than just a trend. The team’s creative use of shoppable videos has helped their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, educate their users, and build trust. Adding shoppable content to their Shopify website was simple and helped the brand feel like “a million-dollar ecosystem.”
Learn about how ecommerce brands are using video commerce strategies and shoppable video formats, and how to start creating your own interactive video content.
What is video commerce?
Video commerce is the practice of using shoppable video content to promote and sell products through interactive shopping experiences. With video commerce, consumers can learn about products or purchase them without leaving the viewing experience.
Video commerce content can include a variety of formats. Popular approaches to interactive and shoppable videos include:
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Product videos. Video demonstrations and how-to videos can highlight product appeal and provide consumer education. Adding interactive features, like shoppable links, makes it easy for consumers to discover highlighted products and start the buying process.
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Livestreams. Livestreaming is an opportunity to interact with customers and answer questions in real time. Brands can add commerce opportunities to live videos with tools like Shopify Live Shopping.
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User-generated content (UGC). UGC provides social proof and can help consumers understand how your product functions in real-world scenarios. Brands can embed UGC videos from social media platforms on their website and convert them to shoppable videos.
Examples of video commerce
Here’s how three ecommerce companies are using video commerce to promote products and increase sales:
Thrive Causemetics
Beauty brand Thrive Causemetics uses shoppable video content on its website and in the Shop app. Its brand homepage has a gallery of social media-style vertical videos that show real customers applying Thrive Causemetics products. This content shows customers how to use the product and allows them to see what makeup shades look like on different skin tones.
Each video is accompanied by an embedded product feature that includes a thumbnail image, product title, and pricing information. Viewers can click on the feature to be redirected to the product page.
Thrive also used the Tolstoy app to create a Shop Mini with shoppable video. Customers who watched its shoppable videos spent 23% more than buyers who did not view shoppable videos.
MakerFlo
MakerFlo is a wholesale product supplier that sells printable blanks like tumblers, cutting boards, and jewelry. Its products are primarily marketed to dropshipping suppliers who customize products with printed or engraved designs.
MakerFlo uses UGC to help customers see what its products look like in real-life applications. Its homepage has a gallery of social media videos from influencer partners and content creators that show before-and-after results to help potential customers imagine what MakerFlo products might look like with their own designs. Each video includes an interactive overlay with the product name, a thumbnail image, pricing information, and a clickable shop button.
The MakerFlo team started exploring how video commerce bridges gaps in the shopping experience as part of an effort to add new conversion paths and boost ecommerce sales. John says Tolstoy helped them integrate shoppable content into the MakerFlo website and the Shop app.
He described it as a simple plug-and-play installation that makes their online store look authoritative while creating a seamless shopping experience. The brand’s video commerce efforts helped increase conversions and contributed to a 2,400% year-over-year revenue increase.
Three Ships
Natural skin care company Three Ships uses a platform called Firework to host livestream shopping events directly on its online store. Cofounder Laura Thompson says on the Shopify Masters podcast that these one-hour sessions were a great way to build community and boost sales. The repeatable format blends entertainment with product education for enhanced customer engagement.
She and her cofounder use a simple iPhone setup to host events, chat directly with customers, and answer product questions. Working with Firework helped her team introduce a simple checkout flow so that viewers can purchase products during the stream without disrupting the video experience. These live shopping events typically draw in about 1,000 viewers and generate between $35,000 and $40,000 in sales.
Video commerce tips for small businesses
- Work with apps and plug-ins
- Repurpose existing video and UGC content
- Make it easy for consumers to see your shoppable content
Try these tips to get started sharing interactive content on your website:
Work with apps and plug-ins
According to Getty Images, “88% more time is spent on websites with video,” and you can expect to see 1,200% more shares of videos compared to static images and text-based posts. Capture some of those benefits by using a Shopify-compatible video or livestream app.
These apps make it easy to create interactive video content and automatically optimize display for mobile devices to ensure a smooth viewing experience. These tools often include product feature templates and built-in checkout flows. Users can upload video content and add their own thumbnail images, pricing info, and product links to the template to create shoppable elements.
Repurpose existing video and UGC content
Take advantage of your existing footage by repurposing product videos or importing user-generated social media videos to create more engaging content for online shopping experiences. You can use a video commerce tool like Tolstoy or Firework to turn pre-recorded videos into interactive, shoppable experiences.
To be effective, shoppable content displays product details as an overlay or directly beneath the video. These features provide information about featured products during the viewing experience so consumers can make an informed decision without leaving the viewing experience. At the very least, include a descriptive product name and the price, making clear any discounts that have been applied.
Make it easy for consumers to see your shoppable content
Consider adding shoppable videos to high-visibility areas, such as your website homepage and Shop profile, as part of a broader marketing strategy to improve your brand's visibility. From there, consider sharing your shoppable videos across multiple marketing channels. For example, create a Shop Mini with interactive video content, enabling users to discover products within the Shop App and have an engaging shopping experience.
Video commerce FAQ
What is a video commerce platform?
A video commerce platform is a software tool or program that helps brands create shoppable video content and support social commerce experiences. These platforms, like Firework, Bambuser, and Tolstoy, add an interactive layer to video content and livestreaming so viewers can purchase products or learn more about featured items across websites and social channels without leaving the viewing experience.
What are some popular ecommerce platforms?
Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms and supports integrating video content, interactive elements, and live commerce into online stores. Other ecommerce platforms include WooCommerce, Magento, Wix, and Squarespace.
What are the 4 types of ecommerce?
The four most common ecommerce business models are business to business (B2B), business to consumer (B2C), consumer to consumer (C2C), and consumer to business (C2B).
