On Using Short-Form Videos To Increase Your E-Commerce Sales

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If your sales numbers are decreasing or staying stagnant, the problem probably isn’t your product itself; it’s more likely the way you’re positioning them. Sure, your product photos might be great, but are they actually highlighting the benefits of your products and inspiring people to buy them? 

You can fill in this gap by adding short-form videos to your product listings to make them more memorable. Let’s go through how you can go about this!

Benefits of short-form video listings for e-commerce

Including a short-form video in your product listings can do wonders for your brand visibility, engagement, and sales. Why? Because:

• It brings your product to life, immediately grabbing the attention of potential customers.
• It showcases your product in an authentic and more transparent light, increasing trust and credibility. 
• It highlights the features and benefits of your products, helping customers make informed decisions. 
• It helps potential buyers visualize themselves using the product, which creates an emotional connection, increasing sales. 
• It makes for a great SEO tactic, boosting your visibility in search engines as the algorithms tend to favor short-form video content. 

All in all, including a short-form video gives your listing that little extra something that potential buyers can’t get from static product photos alone.  

4 types of short-form video listings you can create

Take inspo from this section on the best types of short-form videos to add to your listings. 

1. Videos that highlight the key features and benefits of your items

People buy things because: a) it either solves a problem they’re having, or b) it adds value to their life. So, you need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about how your product will benefit them. Then you make a short video highlighting these benefits. 

Let’s say someone’s shopping for a waterproof outdoor floor cushion and they spot the above video listing. It highlights the exact feature that they’re looking for right away, making it an instant-buy for them! 

2. Videos that show your product in use

Adding a video of your product being used can help customers imagine it in their own lives, inspiring them to go through with the purchase. If you’re selling dog toys, add a video of a dog playing with it happily. If you’re selling home décor items, show a video of how it can be styled and arranged.

💡 Pro Tip: You can even highlight how other items from your store would complement this one! 

If your product needs instructions to be used properly, you can even create “how-to” or demo videos. Selling clothes and accessories? Include styling tips in your video!

3. Videos that address FAQs

Your customers might have some questions about your product, its manufacturing process, and/ or your store policies – questions they would want addressed before they make a purchase. 

Instead of waiting for them to contact you with their questions, you can speed up the process by addressing FAQs in a video. And sure, many online marketplaces do have a dedicated FAQ section that you can fill in, but let’s be honest- potential buyers probably aren’t scrolling that far. So, video it is! 

Here are some common questions you can address:

• The primary raw materials you use to make your products
• The design, color, and other customizable options you offer
• How long it takes for the product to be ready once an order has been placed
• Whether you offer international shipping
• Whether you accept cancellations and/ or returns
• How to install the piece
• If there’s anything else about the product that you wish to bring to light (for example, is it eco-friendly or vegan? Do you offset the carbon you use up for the shipping process? Do part of your profits go to a charity?)

If you’re selling pre-loved or thrifted items, you can even use the video to highlight any imperfections in the product just so that you’re being transparent.

4. Behind-the-scenes videos

When it comes to handcrafted products, customers are always interested in seeing the creative process; how the raw materials come together to make the final product through sheer talent and skill. Moreover, behind-the-scenes videos make your customers feel like they’re a part of the journey, helping them forge a deeper connection with your product and humanizing you.

You can use a timelapse of the making process to engage potential customers and help them appreciate all the work that goes into it. Don’t forget to highlight the unique details as well. 

5. Videos that highlight promotion events/ sales that you’re running

Running a sale for a limited period of time? Use a short video to announce this and you’ll attract more sales! Also let customers know whether they need to use a code or if the discount will automatically be applied. 

Now, why use this tactic instead of just announcing the promo in your description? This is because when you search for an item, hovering over each product highlighted on the results page automatically shows a preview of video listings (whenever they’re used by the seller). 

So, if you create a promo video, a lot more users will be able to see it even without clicking on your product. And, hey, a discount is always attractive, so you’ll get more sales!

5 tips for creating attention-grabbing short-form video listings

Now that you know why and what types of video listings to create, here are some tips to make them as alluring as possible. 

• Hook the viewers within the first few seconds: People won’t continue watching your videos if they don’t find it interesting. So, make sure to grab their attention right away. If there’s something particular that you want to bring to their attention, start with that! 
• Edit your videos: While your videos don’t need to be of TV advertisement quality, they do need to be high-quality and look good. Some basic editing should do the trick in making it more polished and impactful. You can use a video editing tool like Movavi for this. 
• Use captions, subtitles, and alt-text: This makes your videos more accessible to people who are hard of hearing and those who prefer watching videos without the sound on. 
• Add a clear call-to-action (CTA): This could be something as simple as “buy now!” A clear CTA spurs people into action.
• Repurpose these video listings into ads: If you run ads online, using these video listings can be a great way of attracting more buyers to your store! Even if you don’t run ads, you can simply post these videos on your social media pages to boost brand awareness and entice more customers to shop from you. 

Tried short-form video listings yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!