Rich Media Works for E-tailers – If It’s Done Right

10/01/2008

Rich media features on a website convert browsers into sellers, if it’s done right. For e-commerce sites, rich media often comes in the form of visuals – i.e. giving visitors more visual info about a specific product. However, it can go beyond this – from allowing visitors to zoom in and out on a product, to explanatory videos and wardrobing features. Rich media sells.

When a site adds rich media, conversions can go up by as much as 15% across all product lines to which a preview feature is added. In spite of this, a recent survey by Internet Retailer shows that only a third of e-tailers have added rich media or videos on their sites. The remainder is straddling the fence on whether or not to jump in. Most of this hesitancy seems to stem around the technical challenges involved, the cost and whether or not it will truly pay off in the end.

Following are nine tips on how e-tailers can maximize rich media on their sites.

Prepare Well: This means doing behind-the-scenes work like investigating what site infrastructure may be needed and the systems to support its implementation.

Clue Everybody In: Experts advise that the whole team be involved in launching a rich media site (e.g., web designers, product specialists, interactive media professionals, etc.). While this may mean it will take longer for it to get done, it will also ensure that the broader spectrum is taken into account.

Present Clean Data: The function of a rich media site is only as good as the technology and information behind it. For example, providing accurately categorized data for good search results is important to the end-user’s experience.

Speed is Key: Rich media files can overload servers, interrupting a user’s experience to the point where they never want to return. Hence, designing a site that will keep speed at an optimal level is important so as not to interrupt the end user’s experience.

Quantify Returns: Analytics vendors have any number of tools at their disposal that will not only measure how site visitors interact with certain rich media features, but will also track this information and calculate a return on investment. This allows e-tailers to line-item and budget the expense of rich media.

Three other tips often cited by Internet marketing experts for implementing rich media on a site: (i) sustain the commitment to this way of marketing; (ii) know the risks associated with it; (iii) and monitor high and low usage times to better allocate server capacity.

The bottom line is, consumers are coming to expect rich media usage on a site. Hence, an ever-increasing number of e-tailers are starting to use it – not only for selling capacity, but for branding cachet as well.

For more insight visit Online Video Development