The introduction of the internet has taken the world by storm, helping us reach out and explore genres with just a touch of our finger. Shopping is being seen in a whole new light because of the introduction of online shopping. Today, rather than go from shop to shop and spend hours trying to find a perfect product, we can buy what we want just by a simple touch. From clothes to electronic devices to groceries, anything and almost everything can be bought online.
APPREHENSIONS TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING
Online shopping opens doors to possibilities of scams and hence people are weary while deciding to purchase products online. During the introductory phase of online shopping, a lot of people could be seen voicing their disappointment of the purchases recieved. Reviews and complains about differences in colour and shape could be seen under third party products of sites like Amazon and Flipkart. Hence, people began to pay more attention and research the internet before shopping online to find reviews of the items and the brands in order to verify the authenticity and quality. During the initial stages, sites only focused on text reviews, but as time passed by photographic and video reviews were made available. Studies show that most people take into consideration video recommendations while shopping online.
USE OF VIDEO REVIEWS TO BUILD AUTHENTICITY
In regards to online shopping, video reviews are 90% more effective than written recommendations. This explains the increase of influencers and the rise in video reviewers on online platforms like YouTube and Instagram. People are more likely to believe what they see rather than what they hear, and hence video reviews enable a more trustworthy approach in the minds of the audience. Video reviews enable the customers to have a visual view of the product, its color, its texture, and its size in order to gain perspective about the product and how it would look in the real world rather than under the lens of a skillful photographer.
A lot of people first lookup reviews on Google, and since the inclusion of videos in search results, video reviews have a higher rate of being watched. A lot of brands and businesses have now begun the inclusion of video reviews in order to create a comfortable platform for communicating with the customer. Video reviews help bring customers to brands that are more suitable to them. With in-depth reviews and experience offerings of the reviewers, it helps people choose sites that match their taste and values. Several online sites and YouTube channels that are solely based on giving visual reviews regarding brands, products, and all aspects of online shopping have now come into existence with a rise in demand for it.
VIDEO REVIEWS GARNER GREATER AUDIENCE THAN TEXT REVIEWS
The downside of text reviews is that they open up more room for misinterpretation, which is eliminated in video reviews. Often times text reviews are written in complicated language that makes it difficult for people with lower education to understand it. Also, technical terms regarding the particular product can oftentimes not be understood by the customer.
Text reviews have no proof backing their claims and hence are more difficult to believe. Reviews with contrasting opinions can further confuse the customer since there is no visual representation for the readers to create their own opinion regarding the same.
In contrast to text, video reviews are more honest since the product being sold can’t be manipulated or shown in false light. People tend to have more faith in products that have a video review as compared to reviews in textual form. Since verbal and visual communication takes place, it instills a feeling of trust in the minds of the customers watching.
The viewers get a real-time view of the products which makes it easier for them to make a decision. Oftentimes pictures can be misleading, therefore by seeing the product from different angles through a video review will give customers a more real look at the product and will help them understand suitable features that best fit their intended purchase.
Hence brands have begun putting effort into creating partnerships with influencers and other famous personalities in order to increase the reach of their product through video reviews. Clothes shopping sites like Myntra have begun using video descriptions in order to give customers a visual look at how their intended purchases will look while being worn.
The main downside to online shopping is its lack of opportunity to access the product in order to ensure whether it is to one’s liking. Though video reviews do not completely eliminate this problem, they are the best source to expel many of these doubts. Hence video reviews are far more useful when compared to text reviews as their ability to give a visual representation of the product creates a trustworthy platform for customers to shop online, being a win-win situation for both parties as they increase sales and help customers save time.