There’s a lot of general data out there about what a powerful medium video is, and that it’s been growing year on year. But what does that mean in terms of Australia? At YourFilm, we wanted to specifically look at the role of video in the purchasing pathway of the Australian consumer so we partnered with Pure Profile & Fresh Focus to run an online survey into the short form video (that’s anything under 5 mins) viewing habits of Australian consumers.
We compared this to similar research run in 2017 and can see a few trends emerging too.
We surveyed a wide range of people between the ages of 18-70, male/female, different ethnic backgrounds from all major Australian cities. Firstly, we found that more than half of them watch videos once a day or more.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, mobile is how most people are view their video content, however interestingly, when compared to the 2017 data, mobile is down whilst smart TV video viewing is on the rise. This could be due to the cost of data or that when given a viewing choice, the big screen wins out. What it means though is that people aren’t on the move and not interacting with video when it’s on smart TV, however it’s high quality and they are less distracted.
YouTube and FB are by far the dominant platforms – and have continued to grow over the past 2 years. Ask your kids or a Gen Z who their favourite celeb is and they can’t tell you…ask who their favourite YouTuber is and they’ll list of 6 of them. This presents a real opportunity for brands.
Insta video viewing is on the move too with Insta stories becoming increasingly popular – again a great promo or sales channel for brands.
What are people watching? The big surprise for us was just how popular How To videos are with over half of those surveyed watching them to help them make purchasing decisions. 1 in 4 also watch product demos and 1 in 5 product reviews. This type of content is clearly a every day part of people’s lives.
Viewing habits shift through the day too, mornings are spent catching up on what happened in the world overnight, news and the like. 1 in 3 research their next purchase when bored at work around mid-morning. Then lunch time tends to be about branded content and sports. Finally, 1 in 3 people watch how to videos in the evening, potentially related to the products they were researching during the day.
Half of those surveyed watch sponsored posts on social media. Branded content is becoming more acceptable to viewers, there’s been a 10% shift since 2017, presenting an opportunity for brands to tell their stories in an engaging way.
So while the How To’s, Product Demos & Reviews are the functional content, branded content can be the more emotional story telling about a brand.
What is clearly obvious is online video is a key part of the purchasing journey. With 60% watching pre-purchase and another 25% watching something post purchase. You don’t want to be left off the consideration list with that number of people using video to help them make a purchasing decision.
What exactly are they watching during this process? Well…people rely heavily on peer-to-peer reviewing, it builds trust. But equally – product demos and how to’s are used in their decision making process. Branded or sponsored content – whilst not at the same levels, still makes it’s mark.
Key Takeaways
Short form content has arrived and presents significant opportunities for brand marketers
It plays a significant role in the path to purchase – even if you can’t always directly attribute it to a sale
Our ever-evolving relationship with video continues to impact how brands communicate with customers
Make every brand experience significant, make it easy to find your products or services with video and tell your story and your customers story through this powerful medium