The opportunity to connect online to multiple markets efficiently can be a boon for online businesses and an excellent attraction for customers. Without eCommerce, building physical stores is significantly costly, and customers’ demands might not always be precise.

The primary challenge audience experience with online shopping is their inability to check a product before buying. The only thing they rely on is the product image. To offer the best shopping experience, every brand tries to capture all products’ details from every possible angle. However, images have always been proven inadequate. 

Let’s understand why eCommerce businesses need short films to grow extensively.

• Short films spark the right emotions

Many times customers purchase something because of their emotions. It can be your compelling brand story or your cause. Through well-planned short films, you can spark the emotions of the target audience, which might compel them to hit the buy button.

• Gives clarity about the business

Through short films, you can share not only features but the benefits of the products and services in real life. You can also share details about your purpose or brand story to offer more clarity to the audience.

• Effectively reach a wide range of audience

Have you seen a short film go viral on multiple social media platforms? Yes, that’s possible for eCommerce business short films too. But, even if it doesn’t get viral, you can still reach different audiences and turn viewers into potential leads.

• Promote better user experience

Short films give new visitors insights into the brand and products to help them evaluate the business faster. In addition, a short film that contains a mobile-friendly demonstration of the eCommerce website promotes responsive and smooth browsing.

• Enhance the professional presentation of the product

As a virtual salesperson, a short film can be used to present the product and brand more professionally. Take this opportunity to explain, educate, and illustrate everything the prospects need to know. 

No matter who your potential audience is and what business you are, here are some top ways eCommerce businesses can use short films to engage the audience and maximize sales.

1. Offer an effective solution to a problem

Create your product’s short film that identifies and solves the prospect’s problem. The film does not have to be an award winner – only precise and clear. Put some budget to hire a cast and create a short film without a Hollywood budget. Your short film must show how the audience can get the benefits without an “overly selling” type of dialogue. At last, encourage the audience to call on a given number if they have any questions and offer limited-time discounts. This trigger a sense of urgency, and most viewers will move further to the next step.

2. Become Human

If you haven’t kept a budget aside to hire a cast, you just need a clear camera and a mic, and you can create a short film yourself. This technique has proven to be fail-safe for merchants selling high-ticket products and service providers. Let the audience experience “you” so they can trust the credibility of your brand. There’s a reason why all successful dating services use videos as people want to know each other first.

3. Include compelling product demonstration in the short film

Create a short film that demonstrates the product in action. Since it’s impossible to physically show the product to prospects, let them see the item in action. Even if the product does not lend itself to filming, for instance, if it’s a service or a system, try creating a short film with customers’ testimonials describing their experiences in detail. 

4. Show the audience that you always care

Make a short film about a community project that interests you or matters to you. A short film should show a business’s involvement with sponsored events or charities. If your business volunteers at Habitat for Humanity or sponsor a soccer team, create a short film about why the business needs to become involved with the people in town. Remember, people buy from humans, not robots or computers. 

What do you need to measure the success of your product’s short film?

• Views

Views depend on the platforms on which the short films have been uploaded. However, it’s essential to check views to determine how many people are watching and getting engaged with the short film in the form of likes, shares, and comments. You can improvise the following short film if the numbers aren’t satisfactory.

• Watch time

Notice the average watch time of the short film to analyze how long people watch it. It will help you strategize the length and content of the following short film.

• Click-through rate

The click-through rate determines if and how many people are interested in knowing about your business. So ensure to create an engaging short film that’ll spark the curiosity of the potential audience. 

BONUS: Lifestyle short films will be highly beneficial

Lifestyle short films show real people using the products in daily life. It significantly helps the audience envision how they can use the products and allows them to understand how the products may serve their everyday needs. 

For instance, if your product is waterproof hiking boots, show a real hiker trudging through multiple deep puddles and then show the audience when the hiker is taking the shoes off, and the socks are still dry.

If your product is fitness equipment, create a short film showing different people having different physical appearances using the equipment in several ways. Make the short film relatable to the audience and get them excited about how the product will enhance their lives.

The Final Verdict

The key to successfully using short films to grow eCommerce business is not a whiz-bang effect or about doing wacky stunts; it’s your ability to become more helpful, personable, and relevant to the audience. The prime goal is to use short films to replicate how you communicate and interact with live customers.

Moreover, a compelling short film helps eCommerce businesses to attract the target audience, engage potential visitors and improve reach and awareness. It will also help generate quality leads, maximize conversion rates, and better position the business as an authority.