In the world of online marketing, consumer engagement is everything and content is still king – especially when it comes to online video.
In an attempt to understand how customers interact with content put forward by brands, Rapt Media recently examined the behaviors and preferences of more than 2,000 consumers in the U.S. and U.K. Our new research report, “The Power of Choice: The Growing Divide Between Customer Experience and Video,” provides some serious insight on what consumers want in their online and video experience.
Customer experience and the demand for choice
We found that over half of consumers want to be able to choose content that is relevant to them, and nearly two-thirds of those surveyed would spend more time watching online video if they could interact with it on a personal level.
Facebook gives users more control over the content in their News Feed by allowing them to change their preferences based on People, Pages or Groups. Twitter recently turned its home page into a news and information hub where non-members can access streams of content on various trending topics from general news to community conversations. Notice a trend?
Consumers are demanding a greater amount of choice and control in their online experience. Not only do they want to see content that is relevant to their personal interests, they also want to have greater control over when, where, and how they’re absorbing that content.
The video disconnect
Our survey revealed that the same consumers who said they want choice online also want choice when it comes to watching video content. Consumers surveyed indicated that having these participatory options would increase their engagement with video.
Rapt Media has found that videos with choice have three times the viewing time, double the conversion rate, and 14 times higher click-through-to-purchase rates than the standard linear video model.
So what does this mean for marketers? Interactive video drives (higher) measurable ROI through meaningful interactions and insights on consumer behavior patterns. As online video content continues to sweep the marketing world, why would brands continue sharing a predominantly linear, passive viewing experience with their community when their fans would rather have a personalized experience?
Now more than ever, brands must evolve video strategy to prioritize user choice in the online video experience to increase consumer engagement, monitor valuable behavior patterns and stay ahead of the competition.
The choice is yours.
The power of choice
Download the full report here to learn more about consumer trends, desires, and online behavior.
