How to grow an online store with video ads
Which video formats work at each stage of the buying decision, how we test them, and how one winning video makes it into new markets.
Most online stores start advertising with product photos. That works while the budget is small. When you want to grow, video becomes necessary, because it reaches people who don’t know the brand yet and explains the product faster than text.
Different videos for different stages
Not every video has the same job.
For people who don’t know you, the video has to stop the scroll and show the problem the product solves. UGC and voiceover videos where the product appears in the first seconds work well here.
For people who have already visited the site, the video has to answer their doubts: how it’s used, what’s inside, what other customers say. These videos can be longer and more detailed.
To bring back people who left their cart, a short clip or a static banner with the offer and price is often enough.
Test small, scale the winner
We run several videos with different messages on a small budget and compare them on cost per sale. The winner gets new versions: a new opening, a different length, vertical and square formats. Only then do we raise the budget, gradually, so the campaign doesn’t restart its learning.
One video, several markets
When a video sells well in one country, the next step is often a neighboring market. We make a version with a voice and subtitles in the local language. If it’s UGC, we look for a creator from that market. The price in the ad and on the page should be in local currency and shown the same way everywhere.
The page has to continue the video
A video that promises one thing and a page that talks about another lose the customer at the click. So the page repeats the video’s message on the first screen. We track how many people reach the page, how many start checkout and how many finish. If people click but don’t buy, the problem comes after the video.
What to do first
Take your best-selling ad and turn it into three short videos with the same message: a UGC video, a stock-footage video with a voiceover, and a short close-up clip of the product. Run them side by side for a week. You’ll see which format works for your customers without paying for a big production.
