Zappos在在线销售视频方面领先一步

If the shoe fits, make a video of it and watch your sales increase. 这个简单的公式是 Zappos.com 成为在线零售商的成功秘诀.

The quirky company with fanatical customer service started selling shoes in 1999, 2009年被亚马逊以10亿美元的价格收购, 并成为互联网上最大的鞋类零售商. With fresh video directives and a shiny new platform partner in 创作, Zappos.com continues to be an excellent benchmark for product videos. But what are the secrets to its success and how can companies learn from this ecommerce powerhouse?

With almost $200 billion spent online last year according to the February U.S. 商务部报告(PDF下载)，分析人士预计2012年的增幅为15%. 随着在线消费和竞争的加剧, 互联网零售商正在寻找提高知名度的方法, 与客户建立联系, 卖出更多的商品. 产品视频并不是一个新概念, but the amount of videos being produced is rising exponentially -- and more potential customers are watching. A 2012 Inter网 Retailer survey found 60 percent of customers watched product videos online. It estimated that 170 million Americans (over half the population) will watch product videos in 2012. 虽然百分比各不相同, sites have found that customers are up to 64 percent more likely to buy after watching a product video. Zappos.com has reported that its conversion rates range from 6 to 30 percent. The bottom line is more eyeballs are watching, and that dramatically increases the buy decision.

Zappos的成功秘诀.com can be boiled down to three simple rules: Stay true to the brand, 制定清晰的策略, 全身心投入. Companies using product videos can learn from the example Zappos has set.

忠于品牌
Any company that asks you "How weird are you on a scale from 1-10?" during a job interview probably approaches its business from a non-traditional angle.

从一开始, CEO Tony Hsieh wanted to create a customer-focused business whose core values include creating "wow" experiences, 鼓励有趣和奇怪, 建立开放和诚实的关系. Hsieh has pushed employees to use social media and create videos to tell their own stories. 该网站有一个视频体验页面顾客可以上传自己的Zappos故事.

That playful and human-centered approach to business continues in Zappos's original product videos.

Zappos上的大多数产品页面.Com在产品描述中包含视频链接. Product videos are hosted by content coordinators who create their own scripts, matching their personality and the item they're talking about. These one-minute-or-less videos begin with the coordinator on a stark white background introducing themselves and then, 以他们自己的风格, 产品描述. The effect is liking talking to a good friend -- a friend explaining what he or she likes about a favorite shoe, 袋, 或者帽子.

在视频中耐克5弹性室内足球鞋, for example, host Andrew describes the shoe and then accidentally drops it. 这很愚蠢，但这是品牌的一部分. Zappos's videos feel real because they are real -- and customers love them. Companies that implement product videos need to create content that supports the brand and engages customers in real conversations.

制定清晰的策略
The most important measurement in video ROI (return on investment) for Zappos is not an increase in sales. Laurie Williams, Zappos的照片和视频高级经理, 说, “虽然我们确实看到了转化率的上升, 更重要的是，我们看到回报率在下降."

Zappos.com offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee with a 365-day return period. 在网上购物的时代, customers need to feel that they know exactly how an item will look in real life. 最近的一次网站杂志 report showed that customers who viewed a video prior to buying were 52 percent less likely to return it.

“我们看到了成本的节省和更少的昂贵的运输退货. 更重要的是，客户不会不再抱有幻想. Our goal with our product videos is to enhance the overall shopping experience," 说 Williams. Zappos shows that there's more than one way to measure success.

全身心投入
The final secret to Zappos's success is less about planning than action. The twelve-person Zappos video team is directed to shoot a video for every single item that comes into the Shepherdsville, 肯塔基州, 仓库. During its lifetime, the video team has produced over 200,000 product videos. 大约有4万个视频在Zappos上直播.Com在任何给定的时间.

To keep up with the constant flow of new products the video team produces around 2,每周300个视频. The team's five filming bays each have a camera operator and content coordinator who pass off raw videos to two editors.

As customers experience more sales videos, they'll expect to see a video for each product. This "all in" approach to producing content has forced Zappos to graduate from its home-grown video solution to 创作's open source video platform. Zappos is currently migrating its videos to the new platform and looks forward to taking advantage of tagging, 元数据, 以及扩大运营规模的能力.

While Zappos is focused on building its own internal video 网work, 它继续向 Zappos YouTube频道. With over 21 million views and direct traffic to product pages, “全力以赴”的方法似乎正在起作用. The lesson for companies here is take the plunge, build a team, and crank out the content.

Zappos及其视频团队的前景一片光明. With new offerings in the pipeline -- such as ZapposTV with video buying guides, 用户生成的产品评论, and video partnerships -- Zappos will continue to lead the way in creating sales videos with a funky, 有趣的天赋.