WeSEE, advertising and visual classification company, reveals research around the use of video in the online shopping journey. Findings include that the majority of consumers (56%) would consider using ‘shopable videos’ to make purchases directly from an online video.
Perhaps surprisingly the study revealed that men are more interested in this service than women, with one in five men saying they would shop via online video if possible, though over half say they would do so on the condition that the purchase did not navigate away from the video they are viewing. This trend increases in the capital with nearly a third (31%) of Londoners saying that they would definitely be keen to shop straight from videos.
The findings, following a hugely successful London Fashion Week, demonstrate that online video is becoming part of the online fashion purchase journey. This is particularly the case with younger consumers: a third of 18-24 year olds (32%) say they watch online videos that offer tips from fashion stylists or designers, such as how to style an outfit. Additionally, over a quarter (28%) watch fashion-related shows online or on mobile, revealing a clear opportunity for fashion, accessories and beauty brands to reach younger shoppers through the use of online video.
As a leading global fashion city, London’s Fashion Week is becoming more digital, with many clothing and retail brands offering online video broadcast of runway shows. Thirteen per cent of Londoners say they have watched online or mobile videos of London Fashion Week – double the national average. The use of video by the fashion industry is also on the rise; this year, 29 shows from London Fashion Week (LFW) will be broadcast live on the LFW YouTube channel. For the first time this September, the British Fashion Council live streamed multiple catwalk shows directly onto its Twitter feed and offer Q&A sessions using Vine.
Adrian Moxley, co-founder of WeSEE comments: “With this season’s London Fashion Week undoubtedly the most digital to date, retail brands and marketers must look toward new ways of reaching consumers through digital channels. Video is definitely an emerging channel that is increasingly impacting sales of consumer goods, including apparel.
“Our research indicates that there is consumer appetite for new ways of shopping – as content consumption and e-commerce become increasingly intertwined, consumers want to be able to buy the things they see online. This is particularly pertinent to online video as visual stimulation is a mood-enhancing medium and mood is a strong driver of e-commerce. This opens up a massive opportunity for marketers to target consumers alongside relevant visual content online.”
Additional findings in WeSEE’s survey reveal that 14% of consumers said they had seen an item that inspired them to make a purchase while watching an online video unrelated directly to fashion; for example, while watching a video of celebrities on the red carpet. This indicates an opportunity for brand advertisers to deliver relevant ads amongst online content.
Furthermore, 30 per cent of consumers say they would watch a video advert about a topic they have recently posted about online, if the video isn’t too long, suggesting that advertisers can benefit from gathering data from consumers’ general behaviour online to target ads against, in addition to delivering ads relevant to the content itself.
