Keep the consumer in mind when adding video to your site
Video is cool, but how can it help persuade online consumers to buy? And will they be able to view it? Those are important questions for online retailers to ask as they consider adding video to their sites, according to speakers at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition 2007 held this month in San Jose, CA.
Online video is one of the tools retailers can use to better engage their customers, providing them with information that helps them make decisions while also inspiring them with emotional messages, said Neil Clemmons, senior vice president of strategy at consulting firm Critical Mass. “With broadband enabling more video, the experience online will be more emotional,” he said.
Clemmons pointed to computer maker Dell’s site as one that makes good use of archived material, including video and tutorials, which help consumers learn more about Dell products. One video currently on the Dell site is a presentation on a durability test of laptops from Dell and other manufacturers.
But for video to work customers must be able to see it, and that will depend on how they connect to the Internet and the software on their personal computer, said Tim Wolfe, web applications manager at FootLocker.com. “Know your customer,” he said. “If you want to deliver video, you better know his connection speed.” FootLocker uses BrowserHawk technology from cyScape Inc. that detects the connection speed, browser being used and other information about the visitor’s computer hardware and software.
Richard T. Litofsky, the president and CEO of cyScape, who spoke with Wolfe, noted that about one in four customers who come to the cyScape web site use dial-up connections. Having that information allows the site to present only pages that can be viewed effectively at dial-up speeds.
With many sites using Flash technology from Adobe for presenting video, it is also important to know whether a visitor has a Flash reader on his computer, and which version it is. Wolfe noted that 98.6% of online users in the U.S. and Canada have at least version 6 of Flash, but only 84.0% have Flash 9.
Litofsky recommended designing sites so that each visitor gets information personalized to his needs, not generic error messages. “Instead of asking visitors to figure out what’s wrong, you can provide self-help that tells them what they need to do,” he said. “’You’ve got Flash 8 and you need to have Flash 9. Here’s how you get it: Click here.’ It’s specific for you.”
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