The Video Commerce Summit in it’s 4th season hosted by Liveclicker in San Francisco was an amazing event. Hearing the advances that some retailers are making with video was inspiring. Zappos reported that they can produce about 500 pieces a day with all 5 production bays in swing. That’s an 8 hour day. Amazing, right? They don’t use scripts as I have always believed provides a more natural human connection in lieu of scripted talking-heads. Some of their ‘goofy’ content is funny as can be as well.
Many of the other sessions at the Summit provided great insights into the way analytics have become more critical and the measurement people look at seems to vary: some are looking simply at AOV, some at the social impact via Facebook, and others at time on site. Time on site, to me, is an important metric. I’ve always said, “the longer someone hangs out in your living room, the more likely they are to stay (and spend $). They become comfortable with you, your vibe and learn to trust you through the amount of time spent with you.”
Think about how just due to the amount of time we spend with some of our coworkers it’s like they are family, even if you don’t talk to them on any type of regular basis. Just seeing each other all the time creates a bond of sorts. As I’ve had the pleasure to work for my employer for 12 years, there are many, many individuals who I haven’t spoken to more than 2 or 3 times over that period — but we have a familiarity anytime due to the length of time we’ve ‘been around.’
The attendees were very receptive to the discussion of video being a very social experience – in fact YouTube was a social experience prior to Facebook‘s massive growth. They were further receptive to the discussion of retail stagnation for about 200 years, with the need to innovate, integrate the seamless experience of the web and leverage video and other assets for customer and sales associate use in store. Live video was also discussed and it’s potential impact and usage as a brand and community building experience. Further, interactive and automated video, as well as interactive retail displays which combine the best of both technology and video assets to maximize consumer experience.
The closing panel was an interesting discussion regarding video SEO, the opportunity for social leverage with YouTube combined with free hosting, the importance of proper technical implementation to maximize SEO and video efforts on product pages, 404 or not 404 for long-dead skus – including taking down videos was a heated debate in which there may be variances by product categories. An incredible panel of some of the foremost thought leaders in the video commerce space.
Thanks to Justin Foster and Jen Fahey for having such a great event and for the opportunity to meet some of the most passionate individuals in the video commerce space who are innovating, looking to break new ground and further push the opportunity before us today.