It’s hard to imagine a time before e-commerce businesses dominated the scene. Today, the first interaction a customer has with a business often takes place online. Whether the company has a social media presence, an online store, an AI chat bot, or just an especially effective website, online touchpoints are more powerful than ever before.

By 2026, almost a quarter of all retail purchases are expected to take place online, so now is the time to double down on your e-commerce strategy. At the same time, thanks to e-commerce competition, businesses are constantly searching for innovative strategies to stand out from the crowd. Enter e-commerce video marketing. 

From shoppable videos to interactive experiences and 360-degree product views, the latest trends in e-commerce video marketing offer a gateway to captivate audiences and drive sales. Want a crash course on the trending formats? Here’s what you need to know about 2024 e-commerce video marketing.

Emerging E-commerce Video Formats

360-degree Product Videos

If you sell products online, high-quality product photos and videos are essential. Prospective customers need to get the same context online that they’d typically get from an in-store experience, so the more visual information you can provide, the better. 

Traditional product images can only provide a limited view, but 360-degree product videos offer a fully immersive visual experience. By allowing customers to rotate and explore products from every angle, they get the online equivalent of holding it in their hands directly. While some tactile details are still lost, 360-degree videos are the gold standard for e-commerce selling.

This format is particularly effective for industries like fashion or furniture, where visual details and product features carry a lot of weight. For simpler items in other industries, 360-degree videos are preferred but less essential.

Live E-commerce Videos

Livestreaming isn’t exactly a new video trend, but the implications for e-commerce are still evolving. Many of today’s brands (especially outside the US) are hosting live e-commerce video events to sell products in real-time. 

These videos allow brands to engage with their audiences, showcase their latest products, answer questions, and offer limited-time deals and discounts. Think of live e-commerce videos as the modern version of infomercials or home shopping networks. They allow for all the same selling benefits with the luxury of modern, mobile technology. 

Shoppable Videos

Shoppable videos were new to the scene a few years ago, originating on Instagram in 2018. They were immediately effective, largely because viewers could explore products and make purchases without ever leaving the app. For that reason, shoppable videos tend to improve the customer experience and drive conversion rates by reducing friction in the buying process. 

The newest player on the scene is TikTok, which launched a “shopping center” feature in 2023. Brands were able to test the feature in early 2023, using Live Shopping streams and shoppable videos to promote their products. 

TikTok has been a major shopping discovery platform since it gained traction in the US in 2020, so it makes sense that the company prioritized the option to shop directly on the platform. Affiliates and creators can also use TikTok shoppable videos to promote their partner brands and earn commission.  

Interactive Videos

Finally, interactive videos take viewer engagement to the next level by allowing them to actively participate in the content. Brands can incorporate interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and clickable hotspots to create an immersive and personalized experience. Even for consumers who ultimately choose not to purchase, the interactive elements create a more memorable relationship with the brand. Down the line, they may be more likely to purchase because of their existing brand awareness. 

Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s advanced wearable display, is poised to significantly contribute to this evolution. With its state-of-the-art mixed reality capabilities, Apple Vision Pro can seamlessly blend digital content into the physical world, providing users with interactive and lifelike product demonstrations. Imagine trying on virtual clothing, exploring 3D models of gadgets, or even touring virtual showrooms—all from the comfort of your home. This level of interactivity not only enhances customer engagement but also offers detailed insights into products, thereby revolutionizing the decision-making process.

How to Use Video Trends to Your Advantage

Want to lean into any of the trends above? Here are a few best practices to make the most of your trend-forward videos. 

Understand Your Audience

Before you commit to any of the latest video trends, make sure they feel authentic to your audience. It’s important to understand your audience’s preferences and consumption habits to know if these formats will deliver results. For example, if your audience is outside of TikTok’s primary demographic, you probably won’t have a great response to shoppable TikTok content. Widespread trends aren’t helpful if they don’t apply to your audience, so vet them carefully to make an informed decision. 

Optimize for Mobile

Mobile devices drive tons of e-commerce touchpoints—even those that end with an in-store purchase. Make those interactions easier for your customer base by optimizing your e-commerce video content for mobile. Use responsive designs, concise captions, and compelling thumbnails to capture attention and deliver a seamless experience across devices.

Collaborate with Video Production Experts

Finally, to create truly cutting-edge e-commerce video campaigns, consider partnering with a professional video production company that specializes in adapting to and leveraging the latest trends. (That’s what we do here at Lemonlight!) 

Because we live and breathe the video production landscape, we always have the latest industry information to share with our clients. The nature of production cycles can mean that some trends are already in motion on the production side before their finished content is ever published, so working with industry insiders is the best way to learn what’s really new and exciting.  

Look for a team that understands the e-commerce landscape and has expertise in producing high-quality videos across various formats? We’d love to chat about your e-commerce goals and which video format is most likely to deliver results.