TechCrunch is reporting that YouTube accounts for over 25% of Google’s search volume. To put it another way, YouTube by itself is 1/3 the size of Google (in terms of search volume) and bigger than every other search engine… bigger than Yahoo, bigger than Live.com. That’s quite a stat to wrap your head around!
We’ve been saying for quite a while that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) strategies need to take video into account. YouTube is beginning to offer really significant usage volumes, and the search engines themselves are mixing video results into “universal search”. Keep your eyes open — there will be a lot of smart marketers making money on Video SEO in 2009.
We at SilverDock are glad to have been a part of Amazon’s Holiday Toy List again this year. We produced a large number of product videos that are now live on the site. Check ouT the Holiday Toy List to see for yourself!
One of the more interesting revelations of 2008 is the diversity of online video formats. We see demand ranging from silent 15-second product clips (the “low cost, high volume” approach) all the way up to fully produced “web commercials”.
The tanking economy forces retailers to examine their ROI across the board. In 2009, look for increasing measurement and accountability in online video — which will also mean less “one size fits all”, and more unique approaches to connecting with consumers.
From rings on QVC to toys on Amazon, retailers are increasingly using video to sell their products on the Web.
BabyEarth
Missing that human contact at Internet shops? Employees at BabyEarth’s flagship store in Texas wear head cams to give online shoppers a more personalized experience.
They’re just giving the people what they want: In September, 32.6 million unique users watched video on a retail Web site, up 20 percent from a year earlier, according to comScore.
Videos offer shoppers a chance to virtually poke and prod the product before they decide to buy it. And, in the case of apparel, to see how a garment looks on.
“It’s the classic, ‘Does that make my butt look big?’” says David Fry, who’s e-commerce company Fry has built video platforms for clients such as Tassimo, the coffee-maker division of Kraft, and teen retail chain Wet Seal.
Really, it’s great for any kind of a product that you want to touch, Fry says. With handbags, for example, video allows you to see what the pockets look like, what the lining looks like, is there a zipper or snap, etc.
And, retailers are taking the cue: 43 percent of retailers surveyed by Shop.org said they planned to add or improve the use of video on their site.
Video raises the number of sales for featured products 30 percent on average, according to testing performed by Innovate Media, a California-based online video production company. “We’re seeing client after client with incredible video conversion rates, ranging from 12 percent to 115 percent with the average being 30 percent,” said Innovate Media President John Cecil.
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the question for ecommerce merchants isn’t whether video works to drive conversions, but how to overcome production aspects, which is the biggest barrier for the average online seller.
Until now there have been very few resources for actually producing the videos,” said Cecil, whose firm charges $1,000 to $50,000 for production of online videos. “Most of the merchants delivering videos to agencies for distribution aren’t producing it ‘lights, camera, action’ themselves. They come to video production houses like ours with the product they want to sell online, and we produce a video around it. Then, once we started talking about production and delivery in the same breath, it totally changed our business.”
Raj Gajwani, Founder and CEO of SilverDock.com, speaks with Natalie Pietrzykowski on Shop.org TV:
Raj Gajwani is the founder & CEO of SilverDock. Raj previously co-founded WiseConnect, a venture-backed maker of software for retail store merchandising. As CFO and COO of WiseConnect (sold to BayLogics in 2001), he ran operations, finance, and strategy. Raj also served as Director of the Data & Research product lines for KnowledgeStorm (sold to TechTarget in 2007), a venture-backed online marketing startup based in Atlanta. Raj started his career as an analyst at Morgan Stanley, where he did strategy consulting and corporate M&A as part of the corporate Strategic Planning Group. Raj graduated Cum Laude in Economics from Harvard College.
SilverDock.com is a leading producer of online video for retailers and Internet marketers. These Shop.org TV interviews were conducted at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008.
Bernadine Wu, CEO of FitForCommerce, speaks with Natalie Pietrzykowski on Shop.org TV:
Bernardine Wu is the founder and CEO of FitForCommerce, a business which resulted from her many years of operational and strategic success in helping online retailers find solutions and redesign and redeploy new or enhanced webstores.
Bernardine is also a co-founder and Board Advisor of SiteAcuity (www.siteacuity.com) which provides online marketing, sales and contact center technology to increase marketing intelligence and human touch to online businesses. She advises the company on business development and corporate strategy.
Before joining SiteAcuity, Bernardine served as the president and chief operating officer at Venda, Inc., a leading provider of outsourced eCommerce platforms, overseeing finance, marketing, business development, and operations for the company. As a co-founder of Venda, Inc., she had key responsibilities in the strategic planning and execution of Venda’s launch and growth in North America. Clients included: Lands’ End, Neiman Marcus, Crabtree & Evelyn, UnderArmour, Pokemon, MarketExpo and DoItYourself.com.
Prior to founding Venda, Bernardine was an independent consultant focusing on executive-level projects and business strategies tied to increasing revenues, restructuring costs and maximizing organizational efficiency at a variety of institutions including the New York Stock Exchange. Before that, Bernardine managed business development, marketing, PR, and the B2B eCommerce business unit at OptiMark, Inc., a provider of advanced matching engine and exchange technology. Bernardine also held senior technology and operations management positions at brokerage firms Salomon Brothers and Jefferies & Company.
Bernardine has extensive finance, technology and eCommerce experience rooted in Wall Street and a successful history working in the eCommerce technology industry as a consultant for Accenture. Bernardine received her BA in English and Asian Studies at Dartmouth College.
Shop.org TV interviews were conducted at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008.
Joan Broughton, Shop.org’s VP of Content and Education, speaks with Bill Bass on Shop.org TV:
As Shop.org’s Vice President of Content and Education, Joan Broughton oversees speakers, format, content, and networking for all Shop.org conferences, retailer-only workshops, tele-seminars, and regional events and meetings. She also manages all Shop.org research and publications as well as virtual community initiatives. Shop.org is a division of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade group.
Before joining Shop.org, Broughton was Vice President, Multi-Channel Programs at REI where she managed website operations and REI Adventures. The business units she managed generated annual revenue of more than $100 million and included a team of 200 people. She was responsible for launching REI’s “order online, pickup at a store” option for customers and implemented a number of web services for REI customers.
Prior to REI, Broughton worked with Office Depot where she was Director of Web Publishing and has spent more than twelve years in the online and Internet industry including roles at O’Reilly & Associates and America Online. A native of Boston, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Classics from Brandeis University.
Shop.org TV interviews were conducted at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008.
Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image, speaks with Bill Bass on Shop.org TV:
When Google wanted to explain online marketing to the top brands in the world (including Wal-Mart, Costco, Sears and Sephora), they brought Mitch Joel to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Marketing Magazine dubbed him the, “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” and in 2006 he was named one of the most influential authorities on Blog Marketing in the world. Mitch Joel is President of Twist Image – an award-winning Digital Marketing agency. He is a marketing and communications visionary, interactive expert, community leader, Blogger and Podcaster. He is also a passionate entrepreneur and speaker who connects with people worldwide by sharing his marketing insights on digital marketing and personal branding.
Joel is a Board Member for the Canadian Marketing Association, an executive for the National Advertising Benevolent Society of Quebec and an instructor of the CMA eMarketing professional certificate course. He is also a former Board Member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada.
Joel speaks frequently to diverse groups like The Power Within, Starbucks, Google, Unilever, Shop.org, Visa, Microsoft and has shared the stage with former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, Anthony Robbins and Dr. Phil. He is also the founder/moderator of the Montreal Business Book Review and host of the HarperCollins Canada sponsored, Foreword Thinking: The Business And Motivational Book Review Podcast.
He co-launched Distort Entertainment, the only hard music label in Canada to have major label distribution (Universal Music) and whose roster features the platinum-plus, Juno Award and MuchMusic Video Award-winning acts, Alexisonfire and City And Colour.
Joel is frequently called upon to be a subject matter expert for CTV National News, Canada AM, CBC Newsworld, Marketing Magazine, Strategy, The Globe & Mail, The National Post and many other media outlets. He is presently writing his first book, Six Pixels of Separation (Fall 2009 - Grand Central Publishing – formerly Time Warner Books) and his newspaper business column, New Business – Six Pixels of Separation, runs bi-monthly in both The Montreal Gazette and The Vancouver Sun.
Shop.org TV interviews were recorded at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008.
Tom Litle, the CEO of Litle & Co., speaks with eCommerce consultant Natalie Pietrzykowski on Shop.org TV:
Litle & Co was founded in 2001 by payment and direct marketing industry leaders. Litle & Co. is the only independent payment processing company focused exclusively on direct marketers.
Tom Litle brings 20 years of business development, corporate management and payment processing experience to Litle & Co. Tom is responsible for all aspects of the Company’s day-to-day operations.
Prior to Litle & Co., Tom was Founder and General Partner of Industry Ventures. While at Industry Ventures, Tom raised and invested three venture funds in over fifty companies and was responsible for sourcing, negotiating and managing venture portfolios purchased from corporate investors including Enron, EDS, and InfoSpace. Tom founded Industry Ventures in 1999 after founding and serving as President of OrderTrust, the first large scale transaction processing network focused on end-to-end order management in support of direct and multi-channel merchants. Tom has served on the boards of multiple early stage companies and is an active advisor to many entrepreneurs and venture investors. He earned his BA from UC Berkeley and his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1988.
Shop.org TV interviews were recorded on Sept 15, 2008 at the Shop.org Annual Summit. Shop.org TV was produced by SilverDock.com, producers of Internet video advertising and video merchandising for online marketers.
Larry Joseloff, VP of Content for Shop.org, speaks with Natalie Pietrzykowski on Shop.org TV:
Larry Joseloff is currently the Vice President of Content for Shop.org where he is responsible for constructing the content and recruiting speakers for Shop.org events. Larry also helped launch the Shop.org blog which has quickly become a popular communication tool for the Shop.org community.
Prior to joining Shop.org, Larry served as Marketing Manager for The Discovery Channel where he directed the online affiliate program, along with managing the shopping comparison sites and portal relationships for the retail stores.
Previously, Larry served as a Program Manager at Be Free/ Commission Junction where he managed affiliate programs for clients such as Expedia, eBay, Gateway Computers and Verizon Wireless. Before joining Commission Junction, Larry was the Manager of Interactive Services for four years at The Electronic Newsstand (enews.com) – the Internet’s first magazine retailer.
Shop.org TV was recorded at the Shop.org Annual Summit on September 15, 2008 in Las Vegas.
Brett Hurt, Founder/CEO of Bazaarvoice, speaks with Bill Bass on Shop.org TV.
Brett is the Founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, where he is responsible for guiding the company’s strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations. Brett is a seasoned executive widely recognized throughout the online industry for turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses.
Brett serves on the Board of Directors of Shop.org, the leading non-profit industry association for retailers online and a division of the National Retail Federation, the largest trade organization for retailers. This is his second term on the Shop.org board, where he previously served for two years. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School and served as a Board of Advisors member to the non-profit Web Analytics Association. Brett actively advises several early-stage technology companies. He is an inventor (US Patent #7,050,989) and a regular speaker at various industry events and universities.
These Shop.org TV interviews were conducted at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008. Produced by SilverDock.com, specialists in online video for retailers and marketers.
Brian Elliott, CEO of Alibris, speaks with Natalie Pietrzykowski on Shop.org TV:
Brian is responsible for the strategic direction, performance, and team management at Alibris. Brian has previously been Alibris’s COO and led its sales and marketing functions. Prior to Alibris, Brian worked with consumer products and retail companies for eight years with the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on e-commerce opportunities, growth strategies, and partnerships. Brian is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard Business School.
Shop.org TV interviews were produced by SilverDock.com at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008.
Brian Platter, General Manager, Home Delivery of Peet’s Coffee & Tea, speaks with Bill Bass on Shop.org TV:
Brian Platter is General Manager of Home Delivery for Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc, a specialty coffee roaster and marketer of fresh, deep-roasted whole bean coffee for home and office. He joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for managing Peet’s online, call center and catalog business as well as supporting multi-channel marketing initiatives. Prior to Peet’s, Platter served as the Vice President of Product Management at Coremetrics Inc, the leading web analytics provider for online retailers. As the sixth employee of Digital Impact, Platter served as Digital Impact’s Director of Client Services and Vice President of Product Management from 1998 to 2000. Prior to 1998, Platter led product development efforts at Hewlett-Packard Company and consulting engagements at Gemini Management Consulting. Platter earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado , and an MBA from Stanford University ’s Graduate School of Business. Platter serves on the San Francisco regional advisory board for Shop.org.
Shop.org TV was produced at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008. SilverDock.com is proud to produce Shop.org TV.
David Selinger, the CEO and Co-Founder of Richrelevance, speaks with Bill Bass, CEO of FairIndigo, on Shop.org TV:
David “Selly” Selinger first garnered international recognition as an expert in the field of eCommerce data analytics and personalization with his groundbreaking work leading the research and development arm of Amazon’s Data Mining and Personalization team. In that role, David increased Amazon’s annual profit by over $50 million (25% of US profit, 2003) setting the industry standard for recommendation services.
David has decades of experience, from developing the first Javascript-powered ad delivery system for Flycast—the same technology used by Google AdSense, DoubleClick and Overture—to leading Overstock’s personalization efforts as Vice President of Software Development and Data Mining. David also cofounded Redfin, a venture backed, industry-leading real estate search/brokerage company.
David holds a broad collection of awards and standing patents in customer segmentation, analytics and data mining, including over a dozen pioneered at richrelevance. David’s accolades also include the coveted PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Award (won for 2Roam Wireless, acquired by Air2Web). David received his BS in Computer Science from Stanford University.
This interview was conducted on September 15, 2008 at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit. Shop.org TV was produced by SilverDock.com, specialists in online video for retailers and marketers.
Doug Mack (Adobe’s Vice President and General Manager for Hosted and Consumer Solutions) spoke with Bill Bass of FairIndigo at this year’s Shop.org Annual Summit. Check out the interview on Shop.org TV:
As vice president of Hosted and Consumer solutions, Doug Mack provides leadership for Software as a Service (SaaS) and consumer offerings for Adobe’s Creative Solutions Business Unit. Key products in his group include the recently acquired Scene7 On-Demand platform, Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements and the new Express solutions.
Prior to joining Adobe, Mack co-founded and was CEO of Scene7, provider of the leading on-demand rich media platform, which was acquired by Adobe in May 2007. Previously, Mack served as executive vice president of the Broderbund Home Division of Mattel. Mack also spent years at both McKinsey & Company and General Electric.
These Shop.org TV interviews were conducted at the 2008 Shop.org Annual Summit at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 15, 2008. Produced by SilverDock.com, producers of Internet video advertising and video merchandising for online marketers.
