Top 7 eCommerce Video Marketing Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Curve 

The year was 2005. The Chronicles of Narnia part one hit the theaters. Skinny jeans became a trend. Web 2.0 gained momentum. And eCommerce sales breached the $100 billion mark. 

Cut to today, the trends have changed, and so has customer behavior, pitting online stores to compete for buyers’ attention every second. 

Video has become the magic formula for every online store to cut through the marketing noise. 

Bad news: most brands only add to this noise by using the same few eCommerce video marketing strategies in rinse-and-repeat mode.

So, the bigger question is: how do you create a standout video campaign? 

We did the legwork to source seven expert-backed tips to make your eCommerce video marketing campaigns a cut above the rest. 

Skip the mainstream with these expert tips on eCommerce video marketing 

Goldfish Crackers, a cracker brand, made headlines with its viral video campaign—the #GoForTheHandful challenge. With over 1.8 million videos and 548 million engagements, the campaign became a case study for the power of eCommerce video marketing. 

Consumers are watching more videos than ever before. These seven actionable tips will help you ace your video marketing strategy and replicate Goldfish Crackers’ success:

1. Double down on live-stream videos

2. Tap into the power of shoppable videos 

3. Prioritize authenticity over production value

4. Make an airtight cross-promotion game-plan

5. Repurpose videos into short, shareable formats

6. Let influencers and creators do the talking for you

7. Build strong social proof with user-generated content

1. Double down on live-stream videos

If pre-recorded video content brings your products to life, live videos add another dimension to the buying experience and build a personal connection with shoppers. 

Live stream shopping is becoming increasingly popular for eCommerce marketing. Part of the reason is the convenience for online shoppers to view products in a real-world setting instead of basing their buying decisions on static images. 

At the same time, a live stream allows brands to practically demonstrate how their products can solve some of the biggest pain points for potential customers. Stephanie Liu, the founder of Captivate on Command, considers video shopping an opportunity for online businesses to build a rapport with their buyers.

"Live streaming is not about perfection, but connection. It's an opportunity to showcase your personality and be real, raw, and authentic."

— Stephanie Liu, Founder, Captivate on Command

Here are a few ways to use live streaming as a part of your digital marketing efforts:

• Interview niche influencers to share value-packed insights 

• Unbox your products on a live stream and highlight key attributes

• Host live contests or stream events to encourage audience participation

• Stream live tutorials to show your products in action for popular use cases

• Conduct Q&A sessions with industry experts to engage your target audience

Case in point: Petco

Petco is leveraging live-stream videos to drive awareness and boost sales. In its first-ever live-stream event called "The Perfect Fit," the brand reached 986,400 people and earned 2x ROI in sales. It also witnessed a 12% increase in website traffic. 

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2. Tap into the power of shoppable videos 

Shoppable videos deliver an immersive and personalized shopping experience with a 360-degree view of your products and high customer engagement. These videos eliminate the common barriers to conversion—like opening a landing page and completing the checkout process—and reduce friction from the purchase experience. 

The result? Companies using shoppable videos report conversion rates near 30%.

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Claudiu Cioba, the founder of Videowise, weighs in on the importance of shoppable video content and explains why these videos can be a game-changer for eCommerce businesses.

"Try to compare two websites—one that sells only using photos and another that sells using photos, videos, and even richer media like 3D models. The latter is instantly going to get a much better product presentation. Customers will be so much more informed about the product that they'll not have any questions or doubts when trying to purchase a product. I think a video speaks so much more than products." 

— Claudiu Cioba, Founder, Videowise 

So, what’s the best way to use shoppable videos in your content marketing strategy? Try these tips to get the ball rolling:

• Spotlight your bestsellers or newly launched items with product videos

• Run discount campaigns and include promo codes within videos

• Share influencer and creator content to build credibility 

• Offer personalized product recommendations

One of the most effective uses of shoppable videos is answering common customer questions. Laura Oxler, the Director of Customer Loyalty at Soona, explains why.

"What are you spending time on answering—both through your website and customer support team—can help you think of a video to save that time. Quick product demo videos can save you a ton of time, and your customers can self-navigate and find answers themselves." 

— Laura Oxler, Director of Customer Loyalty, Soona

Case in point: Ava Estell

Shopping for cosmetics online is a risky move. Ava Estell minimized this risk and presented its unique value propositions with shoppable videos. The Shopify store used Videowise to create an interactive shopping experience by embedding product videos for mobile and desktop users.  

Ready to create shoppable videos like Ava Estell but don't know how? 

Let Videowise take charge of your shoppable video campaigns to maximize store conversion rate and bring more revenue from direct video orders. We'll also help you increase visitors' time on your website without impacting your site speed. 

Book a demo today to learn more about Videowise. 

3. Prioritize authenticity over production value

88% of customers consider trust as one of the most important factors impacting their purchase decisions. This growing need for trust means buyers are less drawn to flashy ads and more inclined toward relatable and authentic marketing. 

eCommerce brands are making a big push toward raw video storytelling over professionally edited content to create a more authentic brand image. 

Lauren Schwartz, the CEO and founder of The Loft 325, puts this into perspective here.

"When your content looks too much like an ad, people will just scroll past it. I think that's why TikTok has been so effective because you often don't even know you're being sold to. You don't recognize an ad because it looks so organic and native to the feed. This works across all platforms."

— Lauren Schwartz, CEO and Founder, The Loft 325

Remember: the goal is to establish an emotional connection with potential customers by skipping the typical marketing speech and showing your unfiltered self. 

Case in point: Bhu botanicals

Mahima Gupta, the founder of Bhu botanicals, frequently features on the brand’s Instagram reels. She highlights why authenticity > production value for modern customers.

"The notion of having a celebrity as the brand face is diluting your image. Now, everyone wants to see the real you—the person behind the brand. People connect with you more that way. When I debuted my content on social media to answer buyers' common questions, I realized that people now welcome your raw self. Nobody is looking for picture-perfect marketing."

— Mahima Gupta, Founder, Bhu botanicals  

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4. Make an airtight cross-promotion game-plan

Cross-promotion is when brands collaborate with other brands or individuals to promote their products to new audiences. Consider it a quid-pro-quo arrangement for both parties to get more exposure. 

Video content offers a great opportunity for cross-promotion since it shows your product in action and is easy to consume for shoppers. 

You can cross-promote videos in two ways:

• Internally: attaching more relevant videos to every content to increase the time viewers spend watching your eCommerce video

• Externally: teaming up with other brands and influencers to reach their audience and increase brand awareness

Jen McKinnon, a video marketing manager at Envto, elaborates on the role of each cross-promotion method.

"Internal cross-promo refers to promoting your related content within your own content. This is logical from a content marketing standpoint—to keep viewers engaged with your brand—and important from a technical standpoint. YouTube and Google indicate that view duration is a key content ranking factor. External cross-promo requires partnering with other creators and brands in your niche. The idea is to leverage their audiences and increase your visibility by having their content refer viewers to yours."

— Jen McKinnon, Video Marketing Manager, Envato 

Case in point: Nutpods and Honey Mamas

Nutpods and Honey Mamas ran this cross-promotion campaign with an enticing video featuring their products for a giveaway. The video does a great job of showing interested buyers how they can use these products together. 

5. Repurpose videos into short, shareable formats

Creating videos for your online store is just the first step. If you don’t repurpose and distribute this content across social media platforms, you’re leaving money on the table—especially since 40% of Gen Z shoppers rely on short videos on TikTok and Instagram for searching new brands over Google. 

When you think of repurposing videos, the possibilities are literally limitless. Here are just a few formats to consider for repurposing product videos:

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Follow these tried-and-tested tactics to convert your videos into other formats:

• Win over the search engines by turning videos into search-focused blogs

• Translate a long video into a series of shorter videos for social media sites 

• Break down your videos into smaller details and design infographics for Pinterest

• Convert it into a podcast episode and give your target audience a new way to interact with your brand

Chris Lavigne, the Head of Production at Wistia, shares his expert advice on repurposing videos.

"Twitter, Facebook, and especially LinkedIn—if you're sharing a video, the algorithm will favorably look at that post and most likely push it higher than a text-only post. Use native video platforms and think about how you can repurpose longer videos as social clips. One way is to cut out the best snippets and run A/B tests to see what resonates most with your audience." 

— Chris Lavigne, Head of Production, Wistia

6. Let influencers and creators do the talking for you

Influencers and creators play a pivotal role in the modern buyer journey—with almost one-third of shoppers claiming that influencer recommendations are more important than those from friends and family. 

Influencer and creator partnerships can skyrocket your eCommerce video marketing strategy results. Consider these tips to plan and launch video campaigns with them:

• Choose the social media platforms you want to target and set goals for each channel

• Create an end-to-end vetting and hiring process to select only the best brand-fit creators

• Be clear about your expectations and create thorough guidelines for every influencer 

• Track how influencer videos perform and iterate your strategy based on these results

Cody Wittick, the co-founder of Kynship, adds another overlooked tip for eCommerce brands to work with influencers. 

“I definitely think giving the influencers more access into your brand and actually having them be a part of your brand, especially as the relationship matures, is important. When brands start trusting influencers, they should see influencers as an extension of their marketing teams.”

— Cody Wittick, Co-founder, Kynship 

Case in point: Made In

Made In frequent partners with niche influencers and creators to showcase its products with product videos. The cookware brand also builds credibility by getting these endorsements from these influencers. 

7. Build strong social proof with user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is 8.7 times more impactful than influencer content. Let that sink in for a second. 

Whether video testimonials or any other content from your existing customers, UGC can turn prospective buyers into raving fans. Ace your UGC eCommerce marketing efforts and become a trustworthy eCommerce store with these best practices:

• Convert UGC into video ads and shoppable video content

• Create a wall of love on your website to spotlight user-generated videos

• Share user-generated content alongside organic content to diversify your social feed

• Incentivize buyers to create content by featuring them on your social media and website

Case in point: Custom Neon

Custom Neon, an online business selling customized neon lights, relies heavily on UGC to build social proof and showcase its products in real-life. The brand proactively features UGC on its website, ads, and social media feeds. Clare Jones, their global outreach manager, explains how UGC has benefitted them. 

"We are using a lot more UGC in our videos, demonstrating authenticity and trust in our brand. Given the nature of our products, we know they will be photographed. Our focus on excellent customer service means we are continually tagged in incredible videos and imagery that our customers are only too happy for us to share. UGC coming from brand advocates that haven't been paid is an incredible weapon to have in your armory. Why sell when you can get customers to do it for you?"

— Clare Jones, Global Outreach Manager, Custom Neon

Thinking outside the box: Make your brand irresistible with a video marketing strategy

As an eCommerce store owner, you have two choices: get soaked up in the aggressively competitive market or stand out and earn the limelight. If you choose the latter (duh!), video marketing for eCommerce can be your best bet for cutting through the noise.

Go beyond the mainstream advice floating around on the internet and maximize your video marketing ROI with these seven expert-backed tips. 

Kick-start your next campaign with stellar shoppable videos delivered through Videowise. Book a demo and learn more about what we can do for you.