4 Best Practices for Mobile Video Success

Video is no longer a "nice to have" feature in e-commerce. Its ability to engage shoppers and increase conversion rates and revenues make it a necessary tool in any retail marketer's arsenal.

The positive effect of video has been validated in a Liveclicker study of the video programs of some of the largest retailers in the U.S. In that, we found that the average order value (AOV) for customers that watch video on a product page was at least 50 percent higher than a site's overall AOV for more than half of the retailers surveyed. Furthermore, retailers with video on most of their product pages had a 68 percent higher AOV than retailers that had video on just a few of their product pages.

In addition, the majority of respondents reported an increase in conversion rate when video was added to product pages, with slightly more than a third reporting extreme increases over the site average. Retailers with video on most of their product pages had a 79 percent higher conversion rate than those with video on just a few of their product pages.

Clearly, video can have a significant impact on e-commerce. The study also found that mobile is growing in importance with regard to video plays. Mobile devices made up about 19 percent of e-commerce video plays in 2013, and analysis showed that smartphones and tablets accounted for more than 25 percent of total video plays during last year's second quarter (the survey's research period). Analysis also determined that in some retail categories (e.g., personal care and jewelry) mobile video plays were even higher, with the majority of video plays in personal care happening via mobile device.

Given the rising influence of video on e-commerce, particularly with the increasing use of mobile devices, retailers need to take mobile into account when it comes to their video programs. Following are best practices retailers can adopt to help drive success with mobile video: