Ecommerce Videos: The New Cornerstone of Digital Retail Strategy

Discover how ecommerce videos transform browsing into buying—and why top brands are making video central to their digital strategy.

Tally Moran
5
min read
Ecommerce Videos: The New Cornerstone of Digital Retail Strategy
Table of contents:

In a competitive digital world, the difference between a scroll past and a conversion often comes down to how well brands can recreate the in-store experience online. High-res product images used to be enough, but today’s consumers demand more dynamic, immersive content before they buy. Enter ecommerce videos—the visual medium that’s changing how brands connect with consumers and drive sales online.

What are Ecommerce Product Videos? Beyond the Basics

At their core, ecommerce product videos are visual assets to enhance the online shopping experience and drive conversions. But they’re more than that – they’re trust builders, objection handlers and brand storytelling vehicles.

The most forward thinking retailers are using ecommerce video maker tools and partnering with agencies to build video libraries that cover every stage of the customer journey from awareness to consideration to post purchase support.

Amazon video ad creators have led the way in this space, developing highly optimized video content for the marketplace environment. Their approach to concise, benefit focused video has influenced ecommerce video strategy across platforms.

Ecommerce Product Videos: The Strategic Advantage Your Brand Can't Ignore

Research shows that shoppers who view videos during their online shopping experience are more likely to buy than those who don’t. According to Wyzowl’s 2025 State of Video Marketing report, 91% of marketers say video is part of their marketing strategy and conversion rates improve when videos are on product pages.

But the competitive advantage goes way beyond conversion metrics. Well done ecommerce product videos create emotional connections that static images can’t, answer customer questions before they ask and build the confidence to convert browsers into customers.

Unboxing Videos: Recreating the Tactile Experience Online

Unboxing is still dominating social feeds for a reason—these videos tap into the pleasure of receiving a new product. For ecommerce brands, professionally made unboxing videos are a great opportunity to show off packaging design, product quality and extras that would otherwise go unnoticed in standard product photography.

Luxury brands have nailed this, with signature packaging experiences being showcased through carefully crafted unboxing videos that get a lot of views and justify premium pricing by showing the full luxury experience.

Social Media Videos: Platform Optimised Content That Converts

Social media demands video content that’s optimised for each platform. From TikTok’s raw authenticity to Instagram’s polished look, successful ecommerce brands are creating platform specific video assets that maintain brand consistency while honouring each channel’s content expectations.Research from HubSpot shows that brands using platform specific video content (rather than repurposing the same video across channels) see much higher engagement and conversion rates.

Support Videos: Reducing Returns and Increasing Customer Satisfaction

Pre-emptive customer support through instructional videos doesn’t just reduce service queries—it fundamentally improves the customer experience. Proactive support videos answering common questions or demonstrating product usage help customers get the most out of their purchase.

Tech companies were the first to do this, but now we’re seeing it work across categories from home appliances to beauty products. Research from Zendesk says customers increasingly prefer self-service options like video tutorials over contacting support directly.

Comparison Videos: Guiding High-Consideration Purchases

For products with multiple options or technical specifications, comparison videos provide clarity that lets customers make informed decisions. These videos show side by side feature analysis so customers can see which version is best for them.

This format is particularly effective for reducing decision paralysis and cart abandonment especially in categories with technical specifications or feature sets that are hard to distinguish through static images alone.

Product Demos: Showing Value in Action

The product demo is one of the most effective video formats for ecommerce because it answers the fundamental question: “How does this product solve my problem?” By showing a product in action these videos create an immediate understanding of functionality and benefits.

Brands like Dyson and Apple have made the product demo an art form, using high production values and clear explanations to demonstrate innovation and effectiveness—turning complex technology into must-have products.

Animated Explainers: Simplifying Complex Concepts

For products or services with complex value propositions, animated explainer videos can break down complicated concepts into easily digestible visual narratives. These videos are great at explaining abstract benefits or sophisticated technology in simple terms.

SaaS companies were the first to do this, but we’re now seeing it work across industries from sustainable fashion to innovative CPG products. The combination of visual metaphors, narration and motion design can make even the most complex offerings understandable at a glance.

Customer Experience Videos: The Full Journey Visualization

Beyond the product itself, customer experience videos show the entire journey from discovery to purchase to usage, helping potential buyers imagine themselves as happy customers. These narrative driven videos often combine lifestyle content with product information.

These videos work by helping customers mentally place themselves in the post purchase scenario, reducing purchase anxiety by making the unknown familiar. They’re particularly effective for products that require lifestyle integration or behaviour change.

Testimonial Videos: Authentic Social Proof That Converts

n an age where trust is currency, testimonial videos deliver authenticity that text reviews can’t. Seeing real customers talk about their experience creates a powerful trust signal that can impact purchase decisions.

Direct-to-consumer brands are increasingly using customer testimonial videos to build credibility and address buyer concerns. According to a 2024 PowerReviews study, consumers find video reviews 4x more valuable than text reviews when making a purchase.

Product Explainer Videos: Building Understanding and Desire

Like demos but more comprehensive, product explainers combine demonstration with education to give a full understanding of a product. These videos typically cover what, how and why of a product, building desire through information.

This format has worked particularly well for products with innovative features or unique selling points that aren’t immediately clear from product images alone.

Video for Ecommerce: Strategy Before Production

While the right formats are important, successful ecommerce video marketing starts with strategy. The best brands treat video as part of the customer journey not standalone content.

This strategic approach has worked particularly well for DTC brands who’ve used video to compensate for the lack of physical retail experiences. Product demo videos and branded short films have become powerful tools for communicating brand values and product benefits when customers can’t experience the product in person.

The Creator Advantage: Leveraging UGC Content Creators

The rise of UGC content creators has changed ecommerce video production, making high quality, authentic content more accessible and scalable for brands of all sizes. These creators bring built-in audiences, relatable perspectives, and production expertise that many internal teams simply don’t have.

At Popular Pays, our influencer marketplace connects brands with a curated network of professional UGC creators who understand both creative storytelling and conversion-driven content. By streamlining discovery, collaboration, and content delivery, the marketplace empowers even lean ecommerce teams to launch impactful video campaigns—without the traditional overhead of large-scale production.

Best Ecommerce Product Videos: What Sets Them Apart

What makes high performing ecommerce videos different from forgettable content? Industry analysis of successful ecommerce video strategies reveals several common patterns among top performers:

  • They prioritise clarity over creativity: While creative approaches grab attention, the best ecommerce videos never sacrifice clarity for style. The product and its benefits are the hero.
  • They respect platform context: Videos for Shopify storefronts are different from those for Amazon product pages or TikTok feeds. The best videos honour the consumption context.
  • They answer unspoken questions: Top performing product videos anticipate and answer customer questions before they become obstacles to purchase.
  • They maintain production quality standards: While authentic doesn’t mean amateur, effective ecommerce videos maintain professional standards in lighting, sound and composition – regardless of whether produced in-studio or by creators.
  • They include clear calls-to-action: Whether directing viewers to product variations or purchase shortcuts, effective ecommerce videos guide the next step in the customer journey.

The Future of Ecommerce Video: Powered by Content Lab

As ecommerce evolves, so do the expectations around how video content performs across channels, regions, and audiences. That’s why we built Content Lab—an AI-powered video adaptation platform that helps brands scale their marketing by transforming a single video into a full campaign. Designed for modern ecommerce teams, Content Lab empowers you to move faster, go further, and do more with less.

Here’s how Content Lab is built to meet the future of ecommerce video:

  • Interactive shoppable video: As social platforms integrate direct shopping features, Content Lab helps you instantly resize and reframe content for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube—so your videos are always native, clickable, and high-converting.
  • Personalized video experiences: Instead of reshooting for each audience segment, Content Lab lets you rephrase dialogue, tweak calls-to-action, and adjust messaging to align with specific buyer personas or funnel stages.
  • AI-generated video: With features like dubbing in 175+ languages and voice-synced edits, Content Lab enables semi-custom content production at scale—without full-scale reshoots or localization teams.
  • Live commerce support: Need content before, during, or after a livestream? Use Content Lab to generate promotional cuts, recap reels, or regionally targeted follow-ups—fast.
  • AR and immersive enhancements (coming soon): As augmented reality becomes more integrated in ecommerce video, Content Lab is positioned to incorporate overlays, auto-captions, and platform-optimized formats that bring products to life—on screen and in-space.

Whether you're launching a global product, iterating ads, or testing CTAs, Content Lab turns one video into dozens of dynamic, performance-ready assets.

Conclusion: Video is No Longer Optional

For today’s ecommerce brands, video strategy isn’t a marketing nice to have – it’s a competitive must have. From product demos that drive conversion to support videos that enhance customer satisfaction, video content is now everywhere in the customer journey.

The most successful brands treat video not as a content type but as an experience layer that enhances every touchpoint in their digital retail environment. By adopting this mindset and implementing platform appropriate video across the shopping experience, ecommerce businesses can create more engaging, conversion driven customer journeys.So that’s it.

About Popular Pays: Popular Pays connects brands with creators to produce authentic, high-performing content for every channel. With access to over 160,000 vetted creators and backed by Lightricks' cutting-edge technology, we help brands scale their content production while maintaining quality and authenticity. Learn more about our platform and how we can help optimize your ecommerce video strategy by booking a demo today.

No items found.
Tally Moran
Tally is a brand copywriter with a knack for creating authentic stories. She thrives on decoding social trends and brainstorming over brunch.
Book a demo
Talk to one of our client partners today to learn more about the perfect package for you.
Book a demo
Talk to one of our client partners today to learn more about the perfect package for you.
Book a demo

Related Articles

Content Marketing Types: Unlocking the Power of Diverse Content Strategies
Ecommerce Videos: The New Cornerstone of Digital Retail Strategy
Audience Engagement: The Psychological Drivers Behind Meaningful Brand Connections
Streamlined influencer and creator management
Our all-in-one platform simplifies influencer marketing and content creation, helping your brand increase ROI and drive business impact.
Book a Demo