6 Examples of Viral eCommerce Videos (How to Use Video to Drive Sales)

Video is becoming one of the most popular mediums for sharing content. From 1-minute clips shared across platforms like Instagram and TikTok to slightly longer videos found on YouTube, a great video can rack up millions of views and increase sales for eCommerce brands.

A Wyzol survey highlights that 86% of video marketers credit many of the leads they can generate to video marketing. So how can brands better use video content?

Why Video Matters to eCommerce

Several marketing strategies can help eCommerce merchants improve conversion rates and sales, but video, particularly in the current social media-driven landscape, is one of the most fruitful.

Video marketing has helped 87% of marketers increase website traffic. What's more, a similar percentage of marketers credit video marketing for decreasing bounce rates and improving the time potential customers spend on their page. Video is one of the primary ways brands have embraced content commerce and leveraged it to promote and differentiate their products to provide a better customer experience. 

Growth of Social Media

Social media is one of the most critical driving forces for the benefits of video. It's actually one of the main reasons why video marketing has grown so much. That global reach of social media allows a simple video created for one product to reach millions of people across the globe, leading to an increase in traffic and sales. One of the reasons why social media has proven to be such a catalyst for video marketing and why it matters so much to eCommerce brands is a concept known as virality.

Virality 

A viral piece of content is widely shared and seen by thousands or millions of people in a short time. It's when a video or meme gets posted to a social media account before going to bed, and once you check the next day, it's garnered thousands of views. Viral content can happen anytime, and video is one of the most easily shared pieces of viral content.

Types of eCommerce Videos to Create

There are a variety of videos that eCommerce brands can create. However, these are some of the recommended options to satisfy customer demand. 

Product Demonstrations

A product demonstration video shows customers exactly what your product looks like in action. Most of the time, eCommerce products might seem easy to use or straightforward, but that is only sometimes the case. 

With a product demonstration video, you can showcase the product up close, highlight some of the key features you want customers to focus on, and explain how to get the maximum use out of a product. 

As a marketing tactic, product demonstration videos can provide new and innovative ways to use a product that your customer might not have considered before. 

Testimonials or Product Reviews

Customers are more likely to buy a product if someone recommends it. Testimonials offer a great way to recommend products to customers because they help a brand to build trust. 

With a testimonial video, you can interview a customer or have them send in a homemade video (which can increase authenticity) to explain what they love about your product and why they think other customers should buy it.

Another type of video that acts similar to a testimonial is a product review. Whereas testimonials are guaranteed to be promotional and highlight everything good about a product, a review will give a more balanced view of the product. 

Many brands leverage influencers to create top-quality product reviews as they can showcase a unique product view and encourage their followers to purchase. 

How-To's

Next up, a how-to or tutorial video is a deep dive into how to use a product. The difference between a how-to video and a product demonstration video is that a product demonstration video might only highlight the look and feel of the product you're showcasing.

With a how-to video, you can create a custom video that shows how to use a product for a particular use case. For example, an eCommerce store that sells kitchen products might create a product demonstration video to showcase the durability of a frying pan or grill. On the other hand, they can create a how-to video to show how to make the perfect steak dinner using it. 

Ads & Short Form Video

An ad is simply a digital commercial used to promote your product. Whereas brands need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce ads for TV, eCommerce brands can leverage YouTube and social media platforms to create ads more cost-effectively. 

Short-form video is another phenomenon sparked by social media that eCommerce brands can leverage to great effect. Anything under 60 seconds can be considered a short-form video; these videos usually have the greatest chance of going viral.

eCommerce merchants can create longer video ads for platforms like YouTube or place them on their eCommerce shop and product pages. Those videos can then be turned into short-form videos for Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, YouTube shorts, and more.

eCommerce Video Examples to Draw Inspiration

Now, let's take a look at some of the best videos so you can improve your product. 

1. DollarShave Club: Use a Catchy Line

DollarShaveClub is one of the best examples of what you can achieve with an eCommerce video. Competing against brands like Gillette might seem impossible, but with the right marketing, anything can happen. 

DollarShaveClub's Our Blades Are F***ing Great video is one of the catchiest, most memorable, and timeless. Featuring CEO Michael Dubin, it explains the simplicity of the product and takes a dig at larger razor brands that provide things you don't necessarily need.

After viewing the video and heading to the DollarShaveClub website, visitors will be greeted by what looks like a reliable razor brand, just as they would with any other product. But, with the attraction generated by the video, sales are more likely. 

2. Limewire: Focus on Nostalgia

Limewire was a household name in the early 2000s and was a popular way to download music. While laws around piracy had seen Limewire disappear for over a decade, the brand has resurfaced as an NFT marketplace. 

They did it with a nostalgic video showcasing not only its iconic green logo but also a popular song from that era, Soulja Boy's Crank That. Featuring a flashback of two kids rushing home from school to download the famous track, it then fast-forwards to the present to show them all grown up and just as eager to purchase the latest NFTs.

The website also showcases that Limewire is back, drawing on the nostalgia many millennials, in particular, would have felt after watching the video. 

3. Gymshark: Timing Is Everything 

Nothing says the new year is here than the influx of new gym memberships. Fitness apparel company Gymshark sought to capitalize on this by releasing a video just around the time people consider their "New year new me" efforts, showing a young man beginning a new gym habit while sporting Gymshark gear.

With many people likely ready to begin similar journeys, the video showcases what can be accomplished. Had it been released in July, it might have garnered less attention, showing that timing is just as crucial in many cases. Towards the end, the video also promotes that starting a new habit can change your life and offers a community where new gym goers can share their journey. 

After a trip to the Gymshark website, customers can find all the workout gear they need to look good while starting that new habit. 

4. Training Mask: Product In Action

Brands need to show what their product looks like in action. Training Mask does an excellent job of highlighting the key features their products can offer athletes regarding focus, stamina, and endurance improvement. 

A series of clips of male and female pairs training together shows just how you would use a training mask and can encourage potential customers to head over to the website and find out more. 

The training mask website highlights 'improved breathing performance', which adds more perspective to the video and can help seal the deal for any skeptical buyers. 

5. The Oodie: Keep It Humorous

The Oodie adds a bit of humor to the mix to sell their wearable blankets and accessories. The video not only showcases the product in action in various scenarios, but it also acts as a product explainer video highlighting what the product is, how it's made, and even the return policy. 

The Oodie video does a lot of things well and combines various types of eCommerce videos into one, from testimonials and how-tos to an ad. The landing page keeps things simple and showcases The Oodie and its multiple variations so that customers can browse all the available products after seeing the video.

6. Kodiak Cakes: Simple But Effective

Another eCommerce video that adds a bit of humor but in an effortless way is Kodiak Cakes. While some of the other videos on this list might have required paid actors and a bit of a budget to produce, the simplicity of the Kodiak Cakes video makes it so effective.

After placing a plate of the flapjacks in the camera's view, a hand begins to pour syrup on top of them. But it never stops pouring until the end of the video. Meanwhile, the text on the video highlights all of the nutritional aspects of the brand and how you can make a healthy breakfast, with the caveat that you can't overdo the amount of syrup. 

On the landing page, things are just as simple as customers can purchase pancake and waffle mixes, as well as find the perfect recipe for any occasion. 

Make a Better First Impression With Instant Commerce

The right video can attract customers to your eCommerce website. But what happens next?

Keep customers from landing on a subpar front page after you've done all the hard work to create a viral video that reels them in. 

Instant Commerce provides a headless storefront builder to help you take your eCommerce store to the next level. Use headless commerce to deliver content to any channel and ensure visitors can access the website and the awesome videos you created on tablets, mobile, and any other device you can think of. 

With Instant Commerce, you can 10X your speed to market, increase site speed by 70% and easily stand out from the competition. Plus, you can integrate with a headless CMS to improve your content and commerce efforts. 

How much can you improve your products with headless commerce? Look at our ROI calculator to see why it's worth it.