Video E-commerce

An increasingly popular feature of ecommerce web design is to include videos on the product page to give users and shoppers a more interactive experience. It certainly provides a useful outlet for websites selling DVD’s, videogames and other similar media where trailers and how-to guides provide a more in-depth showcase of what a product can do than any description or photo.

The videos on Amazon, as shown below, have been well integrated into the page by being placed at a good size below the necessary information where they cannot be missed, but do not intrude on the user’s use of the site. It is also important that they do not play automatically when the user visits the page. The last thing they want is Donald LaFontaine’s voice booming out whilst trying to read about a film!

Similarly, albums and singles are now available to listen to on such sites in 30 second clips, which makes you wonder if previews of  different chapters of movies will at some point be available rather than just small clips. I don’t think it needs to go much further than this, but with full movie downloads sure to be available in the future on sits such as Amazon, you’d expect anything is possible.