If there’s one thing I think we can all agree on, it’s that online retailers and product manufacturers want to sell more stuff. So it stands to reason that retailers and manufacturers would do all they can to put video on their sites, right? If only that was the case!

We all believe video increases sales conversion rates. Yet adoption lags. In a September post, Justin suggested the lag is due to a lack of leadership. While that may be the case, I think there are number of factors in play. The one that has…

I just returned home last night from the Shop.org Annual Summit where I spoke about how e-commerce retailers could make more money with video “in a week.”  One of the more powerful moments of the presentation was the opening. I asked the 500 or so in attendance the following three questions:

First, “Who believes online video is an effective way to sell products online or persuade shoppers to buy?”

Nearly everyone raised their hand.

Then, “Who is using online video in some fashion today to sell?”

About 3/4 of the audience kept their hands up.

Last, “Who is using online video…

I’ve noticed an emerging trend over the last six to twelve months among specialty and mass merchants with regard to manufacturer video.  The discussion over whether video “works” as a product merchandising tool began to shift away from one centered entirely on improving conversion rates.  In fact, as more retailers discovered manufacturer video content available in relative abundance, they began to view video as more than a simple conversion enhancing tool.  Now, some retailers see video as a new source of revenue unto itself.  What’s behind this behavior change?  Nothing other than the almighty co-op…

I am embarking on a project for the VCC – a new whitepaper/research paper focused on the state of retail video in 2009. The focus is on video content as opposed to placement or channel – e.g. what video content “works,” and what doesn’t. In addition, we’ll mostly focus on on-site video as opposed to syndicated video or channel-specific uses of video in e-commerce.

If you’d be willing to contribute to the report by interviewing with me for 15 – 20 minutes, I’d like to learn about what’s working for you, what’s not, etc. You and your company can remain…