How to increase your ecommerce sales with video

Did you know that nearly 85% of consumers have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a brand’s video? With more than half of all Top 1000 retailers now using video on their site, top-notch photos and detailed descriptions only go so far when it comes to boosting your conversion rates online. If you’re looking to increase sales and build your customer base, you need to be using video.

To help you incorporate more video into your marketing strategy, we launched Vimeo for Shopify, a new integration that enables Shopify merchants to automatically create dynamic, professional-quality ecommerce product videos at scale. This enhanced integration also connects merchants’ Shopify and Vimeo accounts — unlocking access to Vimeo’s full suite of workflow tools — so sellers can seamlessly distribute videos to Shopify and other social channels directly from their Vimeo accounts.

If you’re a retailer looking to increase your sales with videos for ecommerce, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve gathered some key tips and tons of the best ecommerce product videos on the market to get you on the road to success. Let’s get into it.

Why is video so important for ecommerce? 

Here’s a stat that might interest you: including video on your website has been shown to improve conversions by roughly 80%.

But for many retailers, video creation can be complex, time-consuming, and difficult to do at scale. Vimeo for Shopify solves these challenges by automatically turning existing product photos into stunning ecommerce videos that sell. Now, any Shopify store owner can generate an entire collection of polished product videos in minutes, and seamlessly publish them to their Shopify store (and to social channels!) to drive online sales.

Regardless of where you host your online shop, here are three reasons why it’s time to make product video your ecommerce biz’s biggest priority.

1. SEO loves video 

Ah, SEO. Optimizing your website for search engine discovery isn’t always exciting, but it should be a non-negotiable part of your marketing efforts.

Including video on your website has been proven to improve your ranking and boost your traffic. In fact, 87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website. Not only that, it’s also been shown to dramatically reduce your bounce rate, a major factor in locking down that coveted first-page ranking.

2. Video sells more

Not only can video make your site a whole lot prettier, but it has been shown time and time again to meet customer needs — and in turn, drive more revenue. In fact, marketers who use video have been found to grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.

3. Video increases time on site

Video has been found to increase time on site by a whopping 88%. When it comes to boosting product discovery and adoption, that kind of staying power can make all the difference.

10 ecommerce videos we love 

We’re passionate about the millions of talented creators and business owners who call Vimeo home. From beauty brands run by young entrepreneurs to businesses on the cutting edge of art selling, there’s no shortage of humans making inspiring product and ecommerce videos with Vimeo Create. Let’s review a few of our faves.

Zandra Beauty 

Founded and operated by 19-year-old Zandra Cunningham, Zandra Beauty is a clean beauty brand with a powerful video strategy. Zandra regularly uses Vimeo Create to transform her product shots into gorgeous, branded videos that give potential buyers an in-depth look at her offerings.

“Video has been a game-changer, and making new videos with Vimeo Create [is] really easy,” says Zandra. “I don’t want to learn four different platforms. I want to edit in the fastest, most effective way and still make it look cool and flashy.”

Tappan Collective 

Tappan Collective is the online destination for anyone looking to discover new and emerging artists. Because the Tappan team deals in visual design, they know the value of a powerful brand video. So they use Vimeo Create to highlight featured artists and underline what makes their brand different on their site.

Lot 54 Goods 

Outdoor retail brand Lot 54 Goods has built a reputation for producing high-quality products for adventurers of every stripe. As a result, some of their products have developed a bit of a cult following, which means keeping those high-demand products in stock can be a challenge. The Lot 54 Goods team brilliantly utilizes existing product shots to announce restocks via video and build hype for their website on social and beyond. 

“We think that video is a key element to every single product launch,” says founder Matthew Linman. “It doesn’t matter if you’re simply launching a new mug or a whole collection. Video engages and makes users respond in a way that photo simply doesn’t.”

Girl on the Glow 

After being forced to pivot their business, Girl on the Glow launched an online store to help keep their clients engaged during the pandemic. The team shared a series of vibrant social videos with their existing customer base to drive maximum traffic to the new site. With Vimeo Create, Girl on the Glow scald their video production zero to 30 videos in just a matter of weeks. 

“I had absolutely no experience with video, and now I work with Vimeo Create daily,” says founder Emily Jones. “I’m not sure what we did before this. Vimeo Create is the absolute best addition to our marketing, and I’m obsessed with it.”

Casca Designs

When it comes to getting the word out about their cutting-edge footwear, the Casca team knew they had to invest in video. “If a picture says a thousand words, what does that mean for video?” asks co-founder Kevin Reid. “Video helps us share, educate and connect with our community in a more authentic way.”

The team at Casca uses Vimeo Create, to generate high-quality product videos in under an hour. “The user interface and export options make the experience for our designers so seamless,” says Kevin. “We use the Shopify integration to post high-quality video content on our website.”

Spoak Decor

Spoak Decor is a one-stop shop for interior design enthusiasts of all levels. By embedding videos throughout the Spoak website, founder Hilah Stahl is able to keep her users’ experience fun and simple.“We are big fans of Vimeo Create,” says Hilah. “We don’t have the time or money necessary to outsource demo videos, so being able to create them quickly and beautifully was a game-changer for us!

Angela Caglia Skincare

Angela Caglia knows that video is one of the most crucial elements of a brand’s marketing toolkit. But between the day-to-day obligations of running a brand with a small and scrappy team, scaling video content wasn’t an option. 

“That is, until Vimeo Create came along,” says Angela, CEO and founder of Angela Caglia Skincare. In just two weeks of including Vimeo Create videos in their marketing, Angela saw a 79% increase in revenue, a 50% increase in online store conversion rates, and an average order value increase of 30%. Talk about ROI.

Lupii

Did you know 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business? The team at Lupii sure does. Lupii uses video to quickly consolidate positive press into gorgeous, shareable pieces of content.

Hello Hum

Launched in 2019 with the goal of creating higher-quality cartridges and vapes, the small team of six at Hello Hum found themselves de-prioritizing video production in favor of other immediate needs. “Typically, we’d post a video every few months,” says Nina McGee, HUM’s graphic designer.Once the team found Vimeo Create, the team was able to scale their video production by 100%.

“Vimeo Create enabled us to save on filming and marketing costs when we didn’t have the budget,” says Nina McGee, HUM’s graphic designer. “We were also able to make use of old content by cutting the same imagery in refreshing and new ways.”

How to increase sales with video

If you’re ready to start adding video to your website but you’re still not sure how to get started, don’t stress. We’ve got a few quick and easy video ideas that you can execute in minutes. Ready to increase your sales with video? Let’s get into it.

1. Start with product videos

We’ve got news for you: If you’ve got product shots, you can make a video, no editing experience required. (Really!) Just download Vimeo for Shopify to take your product shots from static to dynamic in seconds — then watch your conversion rates and traffic trend upwards when you embed those ecommerce product videos on your website.

2. Add video to your homepage (and beyond) 

Incorporate dynamic (but not overwhelming!) video on your homepage and throughout your website to serve your audience eye-catching CTAs while making a slick first impression. Remember, video increases time on site by a ton, so including this content throughout your website will help increase that dwell time (and those sales!) significantly.

3. Share further on social

Sharing your videos to social has never been easier. Any video created with Vimeo for Shopify can be automatically shared across the web, with one click.

Once you’ve uploaded, make sure your products are easy to get to. (Instagram offers shoppable posts, which you can set up as long as you’ve got a business profile.) Add a link to shop your products in your social bios, too!

4. Explore value with tutorials and tips

Got a product that needs demystifying? Just want to have more time to display your product’s value? Tutorials and FAQs are a great way to meet customer need while increasing brand trust and loyalty. Talk about a win-win!

5. Tell your brand story 

Your videos don’t always have to be about the products themselves. Making a brand video that explains your story and highlights what makes you special can go a long way in building a lasting relationship between you and your consumers.

6. Share testimonials 

You know how crucial online reviews can be when it comes to acquiring new customers. Why not turn great customer quotes into a video that you can use throughout your website and on social?

Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on video, compared to 10% when reading it, which means this format should stick with customers much longer than a written Yelp review.

A few product video tips 

Because Vimeo Create is designed to be an intuitive ecommerce product video maker (among lots of other things), it’s easy to transform any series of images or videos into a powerful product video. 

But one of the first things you’ll need to get started are some awesome product shots. You don’t need to invest a ton of time (or money) to get them — here are a few quick tips to maximize your imagery:

1. Keep your lighting consistent

While we’re huge fans of natural light, some products call for predictable, artificial light. Whichever your choice, don’t alternate between them when shooting similar items. Making a choice (and sticking to it!) should help make your shots look cohesive.

2. When in doubt, use your phone 

Investing in a tool to take your product photography to the next level isn’t a bad idea. But for most purposes, the camera in your pocket is likely high-quality enough to get the job done.

Pro-tip: Using portrait mode (a setting on most new smartphones that blurs the background and adds contrast to the foreground) can be a game-changer in making your product shots look extra polished.

3. Capture every angle

When photographing your products, don’t stop at just one (or two or three) images. Make sure you capture every single angle! Shopify allows you to upload a whopping 250 images, and while you probably don’t need quite that many, shooting for at least 8 – 10 is a good rule of thumb.

Before you go: don’t forget to track your progress 

No matter what your distribution plan is for your videos, make sure you track performance and optimize your content accordingly. Notice a big ROI on story swipe-ups? See early drop off on a product video? Identifying your video strengths and weaknesses will help you make better videos and ultimately, drive stronger sales.

Vimeo for Shopify connects your Vimeo account right to your shop, which means it’s easy to track and hone your video efforts using Vimeo’s full suite of tools — including video analytics. Now get out there and make a video!

Make an ecommerce product video with Vimeo Create