The Benefits of Video Reviews
The first benefit of learning how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce is that video reviews turn an opinion into an experience. Because of the influence of platforms like TikTok, consumers are used to capturing bite-sized chunks of their lives on camera. So when they’re asked to leave a video review, rather than reeling off a list of product pros and cons, they film themselves using that product. This turns what could be seen as subjective opinion into a visible, relatable experience.
The customer viewing the review gets a glimpse of how that product would fit into their own life, and because of that can make a well-informed purchase decision.
Video review generate more trust
It’s not easy to hoodwink an online shopper these days, especially in the wake of scammers that took advantage of the spike in eCommerce during lockdowns. They’re wary of fake reviews and look for signs of authenticity in what they’re presented with. Since video reviews are incredibly hard to fake, they result in three times the trust value of text or images.
It might be a bit of a cliche, but seeing really is believing. And because they generate more trust, video reviews also result in a 35%
higher conversion rate over standard reviews, making it very beneficial to know how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store.
Trustworthy reviews from real customers post-purchase have the power to contribute a whole lot to the success of your business. With the help of
VideoWise, the leading shoppable video solution on Shopify, you can gather together all positive video testimonials and turn them into direct revenue for your store.
So, why else should you learn how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store?
Video reviews are easily repurposed
Thanks to the impressive spec of the latest smartphone cameras, UGC is of top-end quality. Combine that with the fact that it’s its authenticity that makes it so powerful, and a video review comes pretty much publish-ready. That makes it a valuable asset not just for your Shopify or ecommerce store, but for your social campaigns too.
There’s no need for editing other than resizing it for whatever channel you’re pushing it to. It’s also a good idea to add your own logo to the footage, and the logo of your review provider for added authenticity.
Video reviews increase brand engagement
A final benefit of learning how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store is the fact they increase brand engagement. As we said at the start, short-form video outperforms any other type of content published on social media. Our research has also found that UGC gets seven times the engagement of brand-generated content. And with more interaction and more shares comes a longer shelf life.
Then there’s the fact that Meta wants TikTok users back on its platforms, and is constantly refining its own video strategy. Stories and Reels are pushed hard across Facebook and Instagram, and video reviews are adaptable for both.
How to Encourage More UGC for your ecommerce store
So, we’ve now learned how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store. Next on the agenda is learning how to encourage more user generated content. It’s important to note at this point that we’re not pushing video reviews over and above text reviews. A good strategy is built on what works best for your brand - and for most that will be a combination of text, image, and video feedback.
It’s also key to remember that a video review is more effort on the part of the customer, and you'll need to adopt different methods than those used for standard review collection. To specifically encourage that visible UGC, we recommend the following techniques:
Request video content from your biggest advocates: when a customer leaves you a glowing review, you can be confident they’re already invested in your brand, and rate your products highly. This makes them much more likely to submit video content in support of that fact.
Using tools like
REVIEWS.io Flow, you can automate follow-up emails that prompt your four and five-star reviewers to submit video content as an accompaniment to their text review.
Offer loyalty points in exchange for UGC: incorporate your review strategy with a loyalty program and offer points to those that upload video content. The bonus here is that loyalty programs encourage repeat custom, which means a video review may contribute to another purchase, another video review, and so on.
Reviews.io have recently launched their very own loyalty solution,
Influence.io, which works seamlessly alongside our review platform.
Make video the centerpiece of your review requests: if you want to run a campaign specifically for collecting video reviews, you’ll find their Video First feature a useful tool. Reviews.io have built this to make the whole process much easier, and much more engaging, for the customer.
Instead of a written review request, you can now create a short video inviting the customer to share their product experience on film. If they choose to do so, they’re directed to a custom collector page. And if they don’t, they can still opt to leave a text review for their purchase.
The whole thing feels much more personal, and as a result, the recipient is far more inclined to respond to your video with video content of their own, a great method of applying how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store.
Bonus Tip - Use Micro-Influencers in Your Video Review Strategy
If there’s one way to make video content even more powerful, it’s sourcing it from a figure of influence. That doesn’t have to mean an A-list celebrity, or even a professional influencer - in fact, micro-influencers can actually be more valuable if you’re looking to build a strong brand community.
Micro-influencers interact more with their audience and tend to see high engagement rates, so if you can prompt someone of this stature to share video reviews of your products, you can reach a pool of like-minded people whilst leveraging the trust they have in the influential source.
Reviews.io have built a tool to help with that too in their Influence feature. You’ll get a real-time list of Instagram users that have purchased products from you, left you a review, or mentioned you in a post. You’ll also see their follower count, giving you the ability to connect and request UGC from your most powerful brand advocates.
Summary
Video reviews offer authentic, trustworthy, and relatable content packaged up in an engaging bite-sized format. They show a genuine product experience and make valuable additions to your social content strategy. In short, they are one of the most effective ways to bring your products to life and convert more browsers into buyers, making it paramount to know how to collect video reviews for your ecommerce store effectively.
Need help integrating video reviews for your ecommerce or Shopify store? We are experts with Shopify developers at hand to help get your ecommerce or Shopify business to drive engagement and conversion through the power of user-generated content.
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