Some of the largest ecommerce brands are seeing 25 percent of ecommerce video plays coming from mobile devices, up from 19 percent a year ago, a new analysis by Liveclicker shows.

The company surveyed retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, Online Shoes and Under Armour who are using its VideoCommerce platform and found that mobile’s role is growing in how consumers are leveraging video during the path to purchase. Mobile video plays an even bigger role in certain verticals such as personal care and jewelry.

“Many retailers are still slow to add rich content to their mobile sites and apps,” said Ben Kopetti, director of video commerce strategy at Liveclicker. “The best retailers optimize the mobile experience for photos, video, and text. They adapt the experience to a different size screen.

“Others seem to think of video in particular as a ‘nice to have’ in their mobile experience, ignoring the effectiveness clearly demonstrated in other environments, thinking it doesn’t apply on the small screen,” he said.

Mobile shopping
A key takeaway from the report is that as mobile devices become easier to shop with, they are expected to become a bigger part of the ecommerce market. As a result, it is important that consumers are able to engage with video on these devices.

Mobile devices made up approximately 25 percent of total video plays during the 2014 research period, up from 19 percent of ecommerce video plays in 2013.

In personal care, the majority of video plays take place on mobile.

The verticals where mobile video plays the smallest role are hardware, home and gifts, according to the report.

LiveClicker recommends retailers make sure their mobile site draws attention to videos by including easy-to-find video play buttons. Retailers should also not forget to include videos in their apps.

“Adding video to the customer’s mobile experience is an easy win and a dramatic loss for those who shy away from it,” Mr. Kopetti said. “Mobile interaction is on the rise across the board, and video watching on mobile devices is at an all-time high.

“The data clearly show that video works with customers, wherever that video finds them,” he said. “Retailers should proceed with a mobile experience, including tablets, that equals or exceeds the experience they have sitting in front of a laptop or desktop.”

Smartphones vs. tablets
It is important to also address the differences between tablets and smartphones.

A full-featured HTML 5 video player can be used as part of a tablet shopping experience. However, on a smartphone, the native player is almost always used by default, meaning the functionality is often stripped out, leaving the content to speak for itself.

Liveclicker analyzed the 44 top online video programs across 14 retail verticals that are managed with the VideoCommerce solution, including those from Blinds.com, EMS, Petco and Zales.

The data set included more than 12.5 million quarterly video plays and more than 100 million video player impressions.

The findings, which are revealed in the new “Using Video to Make a Positive Impact on E-Commerce” report, shows that video increases average order value and conversion rates.

Higher average order values
The AOV for customers who watch video on a product page is at least 50 percent higher than a site’s overall AOV for more than half of the retailers surveyed.

Additionally, 88 percent reported an increase in conversion rates when video was added to product pages, with 35 percent reporting dramatic increases over the site average.

Liveclicker’s analysis also showed that keeping videos active, and increasing the number of videos watched will help to drive the success of brands’ video programs.

For example, the more active a retailer’s video library, as determined by the number of videos played during the last 30 days, the higher the revenue it will generate. For each one percent increase in active videos for those surveyed, average monthly revenue increased by more than $13,000.

Also, if a customer watches more videos, their AOV is higher. Analysis determined that customers that watched 10 or more videos spent an average of $348.52 compared to $159.19 for those that watched just one video.

“The big news is that mobile usage for video is increasing alongside mobile usage in general,” Mr. Kopetti said. “Customers are now expecting a mobile experience that provides as much rich content and information as the traditional, desktop experience.

“Mobile can no longer be a watered-down version of the desktop,” he said. “Mobile is a part of the shopping spectrum, equally as important as a traditional site.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York