The use of video on ecommerce sites can boost conversion rates, SEO campaigns and engagement efforts, but many merchants are slow to adopt the tactic.
There are several reasons why a retailer could avoid video (e.g. lack of time, resources or fear of the unknown). In the past few years, several entrepreneur types have worked to alleviate some of those excuses and have provided quality offerings in the process. Here are five of those companies:
Bravo
Founded in 2011, this Chicago-based company enables Web professionals to capture user-generated video from customers, users and fans - right over the Web. Merchants can then publish these videos onto their website, social media pages, etc. The incentive for retailers is that video not only adds an extra level of transparency that builds trust and loyalty, but also according to eMarketer, consumer reviews are 12 times more trusted by other users than product information or descriptions provided by the business itself. Bravo tops off its offerings with a 30-day free trial and low price points. It should be noted that Bravo also sponsors a startup sweepstakes that gives away a one-year subscription to a new company each month.
Authntk
This user-generated content (UGC) newbie (founded 2012 and based in Maryland) provides an easy way for merchants to set up, capture and deploy UGC. First, users can gather consumer-generated video (e.g. testimonials, product reviews, surveys, etc.) from customers through an embedded or hosted capture page. Then, merchants can review, moderate and approve all video submissions before they go live on their site. The deployment process takes just a few clicks, with no technical skills necessary. The company states that users simply copy and paste a few lines of code onto their site and newly approved videos are added. The last step in the process, is to use Authntk's built-in social media distribution connectors to get the word out through email, Twitter and Facebook. The company's analytics engine even identifies a company's key influencers.
Viddy
This well-funded video sharing startup, was launched late 2010, and while it has been around for a while, many merchants don't utilize the platform to its full potential. Brands can use Viddy to run contests, show consumers a behind-the-scenes look at their companies, launch exclusive content and more. For example, Southwest Airlines ran a 15-second movie contest in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival. Overall, Viddy is often referred to as Instagram for videos.
Vuclip
Every day, Vuclip serves more than 25 million video views to consumers worldwide. The company states it helps people search, discover and share online videos, and play them on any Internet-enabled device. Vuclip works with content partners, operators, advertisers and OEMs to give consumers the richest mobile video experience possible. It's a late-stage start up with a strong track record and is funded by three top-tier venture capital firms. The Vuclip team has 120 people and offices in Milpitas, CA, Delhi, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen and Dubai. Brands can leverage this startup in multiple ways, but a good example is how ecommerce companies can use it for advertising purposes. As part of its 15-year anniversary, Pizza Hut sought a mobile campaign to raise awareness and gather user feedback. Pizza Hut placed banner ads for one day on Vuclip. The popular brand experienced nearly 7 million impressions and more than 1 million users in one day.
Videogram
Merchants can use Videogram's API to create videograms of their video assets and embed the videogram player into their website/native apps, which will replace the video thumbnails with videogram. This can used for consumer reviews, product tours, etc. It should be noted that Videogram is the product of 500 Startups' purchase of Cinemacraft. This can give a consumer an idea of what to expect in the video and provide them with the ability to skip to the portion that most relates to them (rather than not playing the video at all).
Other Video-Related Content to Check Out
--Brand Inspiration for Video-Focused Web Retailers in 2013
--Overcoming the Video Hurdle with BizVision
--Five Video Strategies for Merchants
--Is Video Scribing the Next Bing Thing?
