The video e-volution

Videos aren’t just for dating sites or amusing placement on YouTube any more. It’s all about the e-commerce baby – at least that’s what online retailers seem to hoping. According to an article in the New York Times today online retailers are targeting video to boost business. The article says at this point there is little question that the videos, on sites like 1-800-Flowers.com, Buy.com, Blendtec.com and many others soon to come, have novelty value. Whether they will help build customer traffic and sales over the long term, though, remains an open question. For example, 1-800-flowers is today launching its “Video Valentine” service where users go to the site and upload photos, write messages and choose musical themes and graphics. The site then meshes the various elements into a 60-second clip that, while not strictly video, includes enough motion and sound to approximate the experience. The eCommerce folks are hoping to grab onto a buzz similar to the one Doritos got from its Super Bowl where it had users/amateurs make videos and the best were used on air.