A new report coming from Google’s Retail division, titled “The Role of Mobile and Video In the Apparel Shopper Digital Path to Purchase” further shines an interesting light in the relationship between online video and shopping (and conversions) clearly stating that it is very effective in encouraging purchases.
Google even calls online video the “virtual fitting room“, a very interesting comparison.
One of the factors behind is is the rise of mobile, and we’ve seen as mobile video is one of the explosive growth categories inside online video.
This next paragraph from the report is so good that it is worth transcribing as whole:
Video is the virtual fitting room
Aspects such as fit and quality – easily apparent in person – become harder to grasp when shopping online. Video has now filled the role as the virtual fitting room, enabling shoppers to hear personal opinions and reviews, and see the product in motion. In fact, video has become so influential that 4 in 10 shoppers visited a store online or in-person as a direct result of watching a video. Today, nearly 1 in 3 shoppers use YouTube to shop for apparel. So it’s no surprise that video ads top traditional media in encouraging purchases. Thirty-four percent of apparel shoppers are more likely to purchase after viewing an online video ad, versus 16% after watching an ad on TV.
So what kind of videos are people watching online to influence their purchase decisions?
Other interesting information from the report is:
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A lot of information to digest, but the key takeaways from the report then are:
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For the full report, go here.
