Check it Out: An Entertaining Union

I receive a lot of press releases each day, most of which are quickly deleted without as much as a second thought (sorry, just being honest). But a recent press release’s catchy headline caught my attention: E-Commerce Goes Hollywood. I wondered what was this all about.

It turns out that Abe's Market, an online retailer of natural, organic and green products — from gourmet foods to apparel to home décor and more — had entered into a partnership with Endemol USA, a producer of television and digital programming that's responsible for shows such as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Deal or No Deal" and "Big Brother."

The unique pairing was a first for both companies, and was formed with the idea of enhancing the online shopping experience in mind. A trailblazer in many regards, Abe's Market wanted to extend the reach of its already popular "Abe's Live" shopping web series. The live series allows consumers to interact directly with the retailer's product vendors to explore new products, ask questions and access limited-time discounts.

While video is certainly not new to the e-commerce space, hiring a television production company to maximize the effectiveness of the medium is. Abe's Market is taking that extra step as a result of a successful trial run with video, "Abe's Live" in particular. The web video series has attracted a growing audience, media partners and celebrity guests.

The content of "Abe's Live" has primarily focused on introducing consumers to the vendors responsible for providing the natural, eco-friendly products they crave. The retailer's goal has been to create programming that enables consumers to discover new natural products that fit their lifestyles, while at the same time getting to know the companies behind them.

"By focusing on the human interest stories and personal appeal of its vendors as much as its products, Abe's Market truly stands out among the e-commerce crowd," said David Armour, vice president of digital media at Endemol USA. "This same commitment to storytelling has been the underpinning of our success in television production, which is why this partnership, though unprecedented, seemed such a natural fit."

Technologies like augmented reality, behavioral retargeting and F-commerce, to name just a few, are constantly evolving the e-commerce industry. While the success of some technologies is still up for debate (e.g., will Facebook be the next big online marketplace or simply a place to interact with friends?), video has proven its value to retailers time and again. Video helps to reduce product returns and cart abandonment rates, while improving search rankings and conversion rates.

Is Abe's Market simply ahead of the curve by placing such an emphasis on video? I mean, partnering with a television production company to optimize the medium is a drastic — and I'm guessing costly — step. Or is it just another case of a retailer putting all their eggs in one basket even though they're not sure if that basket has a hole in it?

Time will tell, but right now I'd lean to the former. Consumers are increasingly looking for interaction with retailers via new technologies such as mobile apps, Facebook stores, product reviews, online videos and so on. This interaction — when and in what channel it's occurring — is being decided upon by consumers, not retailers. It may be a good idea for retailers to polish up their television skills, as they may be spending a lot more time in front of the camera going forward.