It often happens that you post a video on social media promoting one or more of your products and people start asking where to buy them. You send your followers on a goose chase looking for the specific product on your website. Many don't make the effort, while some fail to find the exact product they saw on the video.

The result? Lost sales.

What if interested customers could directly purchase products from your videos? Interactive shoppable videos make this possible by integrating product information and links into the video itself. 

Now that TikTok Shop has joined the bandwagon, the scope for shoppable videos has expanded even further. So, let's learn how to use interactive shoppable video marketing for your business.

What Are Interactive Shoppable Videos?

Interactive shoppable videos are a form of video marketing that allows viewers to click on products featured in the video and purchase them directly. The way these videos appear may differ across platforms. You can see some examples in the video below.

However, the base concept is the same – viewers can click on a product they see in the video and get redirected to the product page, where they can make a purchase.

The idea behind shoppable videos is to reduce the number of steps or clicks it takes for a potential customer to make a purchase. Plus, videos can be more effective than images in terms of conversions. They have more room for creative storytelling and call-to-action (CTA) integration.

Why Use Interactive Shoppable Videos?

Should you just use interactive shoppable videos because that's what everyone else seems to be doing? Or are there any tangible benefits to using this form of video marketing?

The latter holds true. Let's look at some of these benefits.

• Seamless Shopping Experience: A Baymard survey found that 22% of customers abandon their cart due to the checkout process being too long or complicated. That's not favorable for a business now, is it? Shoppable ads reduce this number. They make it easier and quicker for your customers to purchase their desired products.
• Storytelling Experience: Interactive shoppable videos are a 2-in-1 deal. You get to tell your brand's story while also providing a shopping experience.
• Customer Insights: Most interactive shoppable video platforms have a dedicated dashboard where you can track conversion metrics. You can use this data to refine your marketing strategies.
• Mobile-Friendly: Pew Research found that nearly 75% of US adults use a smartphone to make online purchases. Since shoppable videos are mobile-friendly, there's a higher chance of sales. 

6 Ways to Use Interactive Shoppable Videos

At their core, all shoppable videos have a video creative plus an overlay of clickable elements. But there are different ways you can use this format. Let's explore a few.

1. To Market Special Occasions or Collections

Many brands come out with special collections or merchandise for several occasions, like the holidays or Valentine's Day. Instead of simply creating an Instagram Reel in which you show your new collection or limited edition pieces, why not create Instagram shoppable videos? 

You can do the same on TikTok, YouTube, and other channels that allow it.

Suppose you're a home decor brand, and you plan to release a special mug and cushion collection for Halloween. You can create multiple short, shoppable videos and post them on social media.

These videos will make it easy for people to shop for this collection. Plus, you can also use the resulting data to see how well your collection performed.

2. To Show Tutorials or Product Demos

A lot of brands create demo videos to show how their product performs. These videos help show the product or software's features. Similarly, tutorial videos exhibit the functionality of a product in different scenarios and use cases. This video from Borosil, showing how their juicer works, is a good example.

They've added a link to buy the juicer in the description. While that's helpful, many people don't even scroll down to read the description.

What if Borosil had added a direct link to buy the juicer within the video? That would have been even more effective.

Businesses can use this approach to increase sales of their new or existing products. Since the viewers have just watched a video on how the product works, there's a sense of curiosity and urgency that you can leverage to convert them into customers.

The longer the purchase process takes, the lesser this urgency gets. You can prevent this sense from wearing off by giving your customers an option to make an instant purchase.

3. To Capitalize on Influencer Content

We live in a time where the brand's word is met with mistrust. There are too many ads, and people don't know which ones to believe. In such a situation, influencer marketing becomes handy.

Businesses can leverage influencer marketing to get their word across to customers through someone they trust and follow. Interactive shoppable videos further make influencer content more effective.

Instead of creating regular videos and directing people to links in their bio, you can ask influencers to create shoppable videos. For example, TikTok shoppable videos allow viewers to shop directly from the video itself, drastically increasing conversions as the purchase process is simplified and seamless.

Let's say, as an apparel brand, you've partnered with influencers with different fashion styles to show the variety of clothes you offer. Adding a direct purchase link within influencer videos allows viewers to instantly buy the outfit they like without having to go through a lengthy process of searching for it on your website.

It's not only quick but also convenient.

4. To Build Trust with User-Generated Content

Just like influencer content, user-generated content is a trust-building tool since it comes from other product or service users rather than the brand itself. User-generated videos can also be used for your interactive video marketing strategy.

For example, if someone has created a video about a home appliance they bought from your brand, you can turn their video into a shoppable one. Then, you can post that video on social media.

Statista data shows that 64% of online video shopping event watchers prefer to participate in an online video shopping event on a social media platform. You can use UGC to build hype for your upcoming shopping events. 

Since it's a user-generated video, viewers are likely to trust it and make a purchase. Also, when they see that the product is being used in real-life scenarios, it helps them visualize themselves using it, too.

5. To Sell E-Commerce Merchandise

E-commerce sales are probably the most common use for interactive shoppable videos. Amazon shoppable videos are a prime example of this. Sellers can create videos of their products and add purchase links within them.

Similarly, shoppable videos Shopify allows the same on their platform. As a merchant, you can create a video for every item you sell and add a direct purchase link. The convenience of being able to click directly on the product featured in the video and buy it instantly makes shopping much easier for the viewer. It's a major plus for your store.

YouTube is another platform where you can use interactive shoppable videos and even run ads. The good news about YouTube ads for ecommerce shoppable videos is that you can also track conversions, making it easier to measure the success of your ad campaigns.

The same applies to non-e-commerce businesses, too. Even if you offer a service or a software, you can use YouTube's shoppable video ads. That's what ClickUp has done to advertise its project management software, as you can see below. 

As the future of paid advertising rolls out, we can expect to see more interactive elements like augmented reality and shoppable videos. 

6. To Leverage Customer Testimonials

Businesses use customer testimonials to boost their reputation and credibility. For example, Skie Video has created this video testimonial for one of its clients, Hub Interiors.

Imagine the impact of showing a customer's testimonial in video form, with the product featured right next to it? That's what shoppable videos can do for you. 

These videos work because a viewer has just watched someone rave about your product for a whole minute or more. Naturally, they're intrigued and want to check it out for themselves. With a direct link attached, they can do so without any extra effort. 

How to Create Shoppable Videos?

Now that we've established what a handy tool interactive shoppable videos are, let's discuss how to create them. We have good news for you: there's not much work involved. There are plenty of tools you can use to create shoppable videos in a few minutes as long as you have video creatives.

One such tool is Adventr. If you already have a video, you simply have to upload it to the platform and use its drag-and-drop editor to add product tags. You can even personalize your videos by connecting the tool to your customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Another such tool is VideoWise, which lets you create AI-optimized shoppable videos for different platforms, including Shopify. The platform also has a Personalization Engine, where you can tailor visual experiences for different audiences. It also has performance-tracking features for data-driven decision-making.

How to Make Amazon Shoppable Videos?

The tools mentioned above are suitable for making shoppable videos on YouTube, Shopify, or similar platforms. But if you're an Amazon seller, there's a dedicated tool for you: Amazon Live.

It's a live streaming platform where sellers can present their products in real time. Viewers can ask questions and make purchases directly on the stream, making it a highly interactive and engaging experience. 

As an Amazon business, you can even get influencers on board to run these live streams for you. 

Tips For Creating Interactive Shoppable Videos

Are you just getting started with creating shoppable videos? Here are some tips to ace them.

Select the Right Platforms

First, where do you want to run shoppable videos? Ideally, the platform you select should be the one where your audience is most active. For example, if you have a largely younger audience, opt for shoppable videos TikTok or Instagram. For corporate or SaaS businesses, YouTube is a good platform.

E-commerce brands can create Shopify or Amazon shoppable videos. You can create shoppable videos for multiple platforms, too. Just make sure you keep the platform's conventions in mind.

Make the ''Shoppable'' Part Obvious

Interactive videos aren't too common yet. Most customers don't expect a video to be shoppable, so they may miss the call-to-action or clickable elements.

To avoid this, make sure you explicitly mention the video is shoppable. You can do this by using a verbal CTA that clearly mentions how to purchase the featured items. Even better, add a graphic or text overlay that appears at regular intervals during the video.

Optimize Your Products for Shoppable Videos

Before you add products to your shoppable video, optimize them for this format. Here's how:

• Include high-quality images of the product on your website.
• Write a thorough description.
• Ensure there's enough stock available.
• Provide multiple payment options.

Take Your Video Marketing Chicago Up a Notch

The last tip we must emphasize for effective shoppable videos is to invest in quality video production for your business. At Indirap, we take care of all your video marketing needs, from customer testimonials to social media video production.

With our vast experience in video production and knowledge of the current trends, we can help you create engaging, shoppable videos that meet the standards of your selected platforms. Reach out to us to discuss your project in detail.  

FAQs

How to make a shoppable video?

Some platforms, such as YouTube and TikTok, let you directly add products to your videos. For other platforms, you can use third-party tools or manually include clickable links in the video's description or text overlays.

What is a shoppable video?

A shoppable video is a form of interactive video marketing that allows direct purchasing of featured products by users. Basically, the video you watch includes links to the products in it. You can click on items in the video and be redirected to a purchase page.

What is a TikTok shoppable video?

A TikTok shoppable video is a short video on the platform with a link to the product or store embedded in it. Users can click on the link to go to the product or TikTok Shop page directly from the video.