Ecommerce Videos Guide: How to Produce Cost-Effective Videos That Outperform

Videos are becoming increasingly popular with businesses and is now widely being used in companies content marketing strategies. Videos offer the consumer an engaging and interesting form of content that is highly shareable and presents a more visual representation of products and services available. 

How are videos used in E-Commerce?

Videos are being used in E-Commerce to showcase products and services on offer. They allow shop visitors to be informed in a more visual and engaging way. Often consumers are reading and looking at product descriptions and photos but will then go to sites like YouTube to see a video of the product. Sites that offer that sort of content on the product page already, are far more likely to gain the trust of the visitor and increase their chances of selling. Many companies are already doing this, so in order to stay competitive those who aren’t will need to start. 

Types of Ecommerce Videos

There are many ways to use video in E-Commerce including:

• Product Close Ups: Customers want to feel informed about what they are buying. Giving the potential customer a close-up video of the product can not only help increase their chances of buying, but also decrease the chance of return. As customers know exactly what they are getting, they are far more likely to be happy with the product they receive. 
• A product overview: Reading lengthy product descriptions and scrolling through lifeless photos of it are a thing of the past. Now you can use a video on your product listing to help the consumer get to know everything there is to about the product in a timely and engaging way. 
• Testimonials: The best way for your potential customers to make their mind up about whether they should get a product or not is from previous customers. Hearing what other customers like about the product and how it has worked for them is a major buying incentive. 
• Message from the Founder or CEO: Hearing from the founder or CEO of the company can reassure the buyer that the company is trustworthy and worthy of their money. This could also be incorporated into the video ideas above. Instead of using an Actor, use the Founder or CEO and be sure to mention that it is them. 
  

There are many great examples of how other companies have used video in E-Commerce. One great example of a customer testimonial video is by Roku TV, who took short clips from a few different customers discussing their experience with receiving the product and how they find it afterwards.

This helped their customers understand the products good points more clearly and gave them a sense of reassurance that other people have loved their products.

One great example of how a company used their Founder in a video to promote their business and its products, is Dollar Shave Club. Michael Dublin, the founder of the business was the star of the show in their one-and-a-half-minute promotional video.

He lightly mocked competitors, made humorous comments about himself, and clearly spoke about what Dollar Shave Club is. Although the video is slightly controversial, it went viral and was a huge success for them. Ultimately leading to more brand awareness and increased sales afterwards. 

For some products it is important to show them in action for the customer to get a full understanding of how the product works and looks. For Training Mask this was particularly important. They made a video that was tailored to their audience to catch their attention and show the product off in a way that will interest their target market. 

For products that are typically more expensive, where customers might be a bit more picky about what they order product videos are great. A great example of a company using videos to help sell their products is Truwood watches, that offer videos showcasing their different watches in various environments and angles. This gives the viewer a chance to really see what the product looks like that they would not get from just photos and a product specification. 

If you are making a product specification or explainer video it is important that you showcase the product and its features in a professional but also engaging way. This will not only build excitement for your product but also give those watching a better understanding of the ins and outs of the product.

These videos can even be used to help build momentum before a release date. Let people know what to expect from that particular product and get the excited to buy one. A great example of a product overview video is for the Olympus’ OM-D E-M5 Mark III camera. 

In this video you can see that the man describes the best features of the product, how consumers can use them and also gives comparisons to different versions of the camera and why you should buy it. As this product is often an investment to those who buy it and those who do will want to know more details about the product and how it compares to others, it is a great idea to have a video like this one. 

How to make E-Commerce Videos

E-Commerce Settings/Studio

One of the first things you need to think about when planning on filming a video is the location of where you will film it. You might want to consider getting a studio or hiring out a venue in which you can film at.

If you use an external company to help you out, then they might be able to source this location for you or even have their own studio on hand. Think about your target market and whether the location and back drop of the video is going to appeal to them. 

Time

The amount of time it takes to create a video really determines on the type of video you are trying to make and what will be in it. Shorter product videos will take less time than adverts and testimonial videos, however if you are making multiple product videos at once then this could take a while. To speed things up, a lot of companies decide to use an external agency or professional to help them prepare, film, and edit. This lets employees get on with their day job whilst the video is being created in the background.

Filming equipment

If you want your video to look professional, then a phone camera probably will not suffice. You will need to ensure that you have the correct camera, sound, and lighting equipment to be used or the video quality might suffer. For product videos it is especially important to ensure that the lighting is bright and that they audience can see the product clearly. As not all companies have access to this sort of equipment, hiring a professional or an agency that does is a must. 

Props

Many videos will need props in them to make them more realistic or stand out. Plan out what you are going to need in the video and ensure you have ordered it all in good time. If you are using a professional company to do this for you then they are likely to already have many props that can be used or source them for you. 

Labor

No matter what kind of video you are making, you will need someone to film it and someone to edit it. If you are creating a more complicated video then you are likely to need actors, stylists, models, and sound equipment professionals. This is likely to cost you more money but will ensure that your video is professional looking. 

Editing

There is many different software available that can be used to edit videos, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and CyberLink PowerDirector. These are available for anyone to purchase; however, they can be quite complicated to use without training.

Editing can literally make or break a video. It can be the difference between someone buying your product afterwards or not. When a video is edited in a professional way it is engaging and allows customers to get a great sense of the company.

Consider getting a professional to edit your videos to ensure that your video is the best it can be or teach yourself how to edit. A professional license of Premiere Pro is under $20/month and all the free training in the world is available on Youtube.

E-Commerce Video Pricing 

The cost to create an E-Commerce video, varies massively. It all depends on what type of video you are shooting and what is in that video that might cause the price to rise. The good news is you can make a video on any budget. If you cannot afford to create the highest quality of videos then there are ways around it, by using existing staff as actors and using your office as a studio. Alternatively, you can find cheaper agencies or video producers out there that can find a way to work for your budget. 

E-commerce Video Making Software

As mentioned above some of the best programs you can use for editing, include Premiering Pro, CyberLink PowerDirector 365 and Final Cut Pro. 

Premiere Pro

Although missing some of the newer technologies available on other platforms, allows users to edit their videos in an intuitive and professional way. There are plenty of pre-made effects that can be used on the videos, with plenty of advanced features to choose from. 

Key features include:

• Works with both Macs and PCs
• Easy to learn and use
• New artificial intelligence features now include video
• 4K support and video stabilization

When used with Dropbox, you have an entire distributed team setup and ready to go (this is what Capture uses for our product videos).

CyberLink PowerDirector

CyberLink PowerDirector is another great option, with an easy-to-use interface, advanced audio editing tools and a large library of visual effects. You are able to get CyberLink of both windows and Mac. There are several versions of PowerDirector to choose from, which vary in price, so it is worth looking into which features are right for you. 

Key features include

• Square, 1:1 aspect ratio is great for social media
• Built-in motion graphics and royalty-free music
• Intuitive interface
• Audio scrubbing and 4K preview
  

Final Cut Pro X

Final Cut Pro X is a macOS-only video editor, which means you are only able to use it on Apple Macs. It is fast and extremely easy to use, which is to be expected from a company like Apple. It has a simple user interface which makes it perfect for beginner editors, however there are more complex and advanced features that are available to those who are able to use them. 

All of the above-mentioned software has a fee to pay if you purchase the software, with most of them offering a monthly payment or a one off payment. 

For those on a tighter budget there are also many free video editing software out there. Including:

• HitFilm Express 

• Easy to use advanced video editing with motion tracking, color correctors, and cropping tools
• Multiple video enhancements that allow you to combine two individual shots together for fantastic video effects
• An auto-stabilizer to make shaky footage smoother
• A clever trimmer that lets you re-trim your clips after adding them to the timeline
• Ability to duplicate a group of features from one clip and apply them quickly to another or to a whole project
• Audio mixer for fine tuning sound for professional quality output
• Various transition options, such as push, zoom, and dissolve

• Lightworks 

• High-quality straightforward trim functions for quick and easy video editing
• HitFilm lets you continue to edit whilst importing new content 
• Multicam editing for syncing clips from multiple cameras
• Real-time team project sharing with complete command over who has editing rights
• Simple video sharing due to quick exports to Youtube, Facebook, Vimeo and Instagram.  
• Supports for a broad variety of video formats

• Video Pad

• two built-in screens, one for previewing the video and the other to edit 
• There are plenty of customizable transitions for impeccable video quality
• Exporting presets to effortlessly create video files that are optimized for particular platforms
• Social media sharing is made easily with users being able to post directly from the platform 
• A sizable library of video transitions and visual effects to modify videos
• Video optimization tools, such as stabilization and audio increase

• OpenShot

• Unlimited layers for watermarks, background videos, and audio tracks
• Customizable title-card templates
• Drag-and-drop functionality for easily adding video, audio, or image files
• Digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, and chroma key compositing for green-screen effects
• Powerful key-frame animation capabilities for creating animated videos

• Blender

• Path-tracer engine for realistic rendering of animated objects
• Advanced rendering processes to speed up the saving and exporting of your project
• Option to code game logic into the software for video game development
• Advanced character animation tools for realistic kinematics
• Extensive library of visual effects and vignettes

• Shotcut

• Support for the latest audio and video formats via FFmpeg, the leading multimedia framework
• Native timeline editing, which allows users to import video files directly into their project file rather than a media library
• Multi-format timeline for mixing and matching resolutions and frame rates within a project
• Advanced audio filters like balance, bass and treble, bandpass filters, compressor, and more

• VSDC Free Video Editor

• Colour-correction tools to achieve a more professional finish
• A large variety of transitional effects
• Plenty of image filters that are easy to use and close to what you would find on Instagram. 
• Selection of mask tools for hiding, blurring, or highlighting specific parts of the video
• Easy to share function so that you can post quickly onto Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo. 
• HEVC/H.265 (an advanced video-compression standard), for maintaining the highest quality at the minimum file size—essential for processing 4K and HD files

• Movie Make 10

• Auto-preview tool for edits and effects
• Auto-movie options for creating customizable cuts of your video clips
• Animation tab to easily add music, titles, and credits

• iMovie

• Support for 4K resolution, allowing users to create cinema-quality films
• Cloud-storage functionality that allows you to work on the same project from your iPad, iPhone, and Mac
• Dozens of studio-quality title animations for professional-looking credits
• Stylish, contemporary video filters built for specific film genres, such as Western and sci-fi
• Built-in music, sound effects, and voiceover recording so your sound and picture editing are always consolidated
• Speed controls that let you make high-octane action scenes faster and sports highlights slower

• Vimeo Create

• More than 1000 templates to choose from
• Facial recognition, filters, effects, and auto-cropping
• Professional auto-editing ability
• Ability to share videos across marketing channels
• Unlimited high-quality stock images with iStock integration
• Library of commercially licensed music to choose from

• DaVinci Resolve

• Dual timeline for fast navigation, cutting, and trimming
• A great trim interface that allows you to edit in precise detail
• Clever auto-editing that synchronises audio and visual clips for you
• Built-in tools for picture effects, retiming, stabilization, dynamic zoom, text, and audio
• Facial recognition that detects faces in your clips and automatically creates bins based on the people in each shot
• High-quality motion estimation speed changes and frame rate conversions to easily and realistically speed up or slow-down clips

• WeVideo

• Stock media library with over one million images, videos, and music assets
• Ability to export videos in 4K resolution
• Branded templates with your logo so you always have a unified look
• Shared project libraries to manage and collaborate with teams
• Unlimited cloud storage to create endless videos
• Rich editing tools including green screen, animated text, screen recording, and more
  

Although all of this software is free, some of them have pay monthly options if you want more advanced features, so it is worth seeing which one works for you in terms of what you need for your video. 

If you want to use free copywrite videos, then there are many sites that are offering this including Getty Images and Adobe Stock.

This allows you to have professional looking shots in your video only for a small fee. There are even sites like Canva that will create videos for you if you just enter a few details.

Pexels and Videvo are just two examples of sites that have free copyright free videos available to choose from. 

Canva has a great feature where users can take advantage of their video templates. This can help add a more professional touch to your videos and is an easy way to edit them in a low cost, beginner friendly way.

You can even start from scratch and make your own video template that can be used repeatedly, to give your videos a branded touch. 

Summary: How to Create Ecommerce Videos, Fast

Video marketing is only going to get bigger. All E-Commerce companies that want to stay competitive will need to introduce video onto their websites and in their marketing strategy.

If you want to get ahead of the game, now is the time to start investing in video and create quality content for your customers and visitors to enjoy.

Whatever type of video you decide to create, ensure you have a solid idea with a clear budget and plan ahead to ensure that you get the shots that you want. If you still do not know how to get started or want some professional assistance, then we are here to help. Take a look at our packages available or get in touch to discuss how we can help you.