As many as 40% of the top retail web sites have no significant video presence, according to a Q4 report released by SundaySky titled State of Video In E-Commerce. Retailers could be missing an opportunity with e-commerce video, considering that the number of views on YouTube for the top 50 online retailers more than doubled in the last six months of 2010 to 369 million total views, SundaySky reported.
Amazon.com is the largest user of online video, within Internet Retailer’s list of top 500 online retailers, with more than 185,000 videos available on its site. Overstock.com, Home Shopping Network (HSN.com), QVC.com and Buy.com round out the top 5 retailers for number of available videos. But more traditional companies also are using video. Target, Walmart, Nike, Systemax and Cabela’s are retail leaders taking advantage of video as a marketing tool.
But it’s not necessarily the number of videos retailers offer, it is how they use them and how they track them. HSN.com creates supplemental video for the web site that augment the TV show. For example an online shopper can view a model wearing a blouse they may have seen on TV, along with other items for sale through the retailer. Soon shoppers may be able to click and buy directly from videos, said Emery Skolfied, Director of Digital Content for HSN.com, in a recent press release. “It’s remarkable how few e-retailers are working to adopt a video strategy,” he remarked. “For us, it’s imperative.”
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Moosejaw Mountaineering has implemented eCommerce video onto its mobile site, along with partners Invodo and Unbound Commerce. Outdoor retailer Moosejaw is implementing mobile video as an extension of a broader online video initiative.
Indexing and Syndication are Key
Retailers also need to index and syndicate their videos in order to increase Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Only 30% of online retailers have more than 10 videos indexed by Google, according to SundaySky. Some of the indexing leaders are Amazon.com (185,339 videos indexed), HSN.com (29,620), Overstock.com (6,310) and Nike.com (3,700).
While YouTube is the primary video channel used for online syndication, retailers also may want to consider syndicating videos to other sources such as their Facebook fan pages.
The complete SundaySky Q4 report can be accessed by clicking here. SundaySky uses a Saas-based automated video platform to produce videos for retailers including Overstock.com, Discovery Store and Adorama.
