4 Best Practices for Mobile Video Success

1. Don't take a "one size fits all" approach. With the growing number of smartphones and tablets used by consumers of all ages to access the Internet — and the fact that Americans are spending more time looking at their mobile devices than at a television — make sure that videos are ready for the small screen. Meet consumers where they are, and optimize that experience. Being an omnichannel retailer is about recognizing where the consumer wants to interact and adapting the experience to them, not cramming one experience into every channel in the same way.

2. Offer and highlight videos on mobile sites. Many organizations make the mistake of stripping their mobile product pages down to just image and text descriptions. Video works just as effectively when consumed on a mobile device. Make sure your mobile site draws a lot of attention to your videos. Just as an "Add to Cart" button should be the easiest thing to find on a mobile page, so too should your video play buttons.

3. Don't forget about mobile apps. The same advice applies to video in mobile apps. An effective e-commerce strategy engages consumers where they are. Not showing video within your app limits its e-commerce effectiveness and costs you sales.

4. Address the differences between tablets and smartphones. Keep in mind that people interact with tablets and smartphones in different ways. A tablet can act much more like a desktop or laptop computer. You can use a HTML5 player with full functionality in a tablet experience. In a smartphone environment, the screen is smaller, and consumers almost always use the native player by default. When mobile video uses a mobile device's native player, the functionality is often stripped out, leaving only your content to speak for itself. Knowing this, make sure your content is engaging to your customer and can stand on its own.