Brand Inspiration for Video-Focused Web Retailers in 2013

In 2013, Web Retailers will focus on many things to achieve success - mobile design, search engine optimization, and the customer experience in general to name but a few. It's important to prioritize those digital efforts accordingly based on the needs of your organization as they are fundamental to generating buzz and profits, but another channel should also be capturing retailers attention in 2013 as well as greater financial investment: it's Video, and the top brands are well aware of the channel's importance.

It's not uncommon however for ecommerce merchants to drag their virtual feet when it comes to video. Sometimes that's because of the associated cost (it's not easy to produce high-quality, share-worthy information or entertainment focused video content) so many just don't try. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of powerful software solutions available which make the process of creation, distribution and analysis far simpler (Side note: Website Magazine Associate Editor Michael Garrity is developing a video editor comparison for the March 2013 issue - Subsribe now and make sure you have access).

Video is a powerful marketing mechanism to propel merchants' online retail efforts to new heights - but the time to get started is now. Often, fortunately, all that's really needed initially is a little inspiration. Take a look at ten of the top ecommerce brands and how they're using video today.

Some things that stood out in our analysis was the use of custom profiles, featured playlists, and the integration of social sharing onto the brand's YouTube pages (the only video destination examined).

Not using Video yet? Check out Website Magazine's YouTube Video Basics for Beginners.