5 video trends to watch in 2021

As technology and digital habits evolve, and in fact have been accelerated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s not surprising that video predictions and usage is expected to see further exponential growth during 2021.  As of 2020, 81% of businesses use video as a tool for marketing, video in 2021 is therefore going to be a necessity not an option to consider!

Savvy marketers have already expanded their video horizons because the changes in consumer behaviour caused by the pandemic are not expected to go away even with a vaccine.  In fact, Cisco has predicted that 2021 will be the year that the internet becomes one big video! 

In this article, we have highlighted what we see as being the top 5 major video and digital trends in 2021 and why now is the time to start exploiting them to help increase your customer conversions:

1. Interactive video over passive video. 
A surge in consumer demand for active learning will see a rise in storytelling, personalisation and product building videos as viewers want to become part of the video experience themselves.  Explainer videos already account for 55% of video consumption and personalised videos are proven to help increase click through rates by 300%.  Both trends are expected to grow further in 2021.  Plus, they’re not just fun videos for viewers, but they also offer a gold mine of data for marketers.

2. User generated video. 
User-generated content is authentic, trustworthy, and fun! Moreover, this content cuts through the noise in a cluttered digital landscape. 70% of consumers trust customer opinions, whereas only 25% trust advertising. And, today, it’s easier than ever to review and research customer opinions.

3. No more fake news. 
2021 is set to see a rise in demand for honesty and transparency in communication.  We live in an era of fake news and widespread misinformation and customers now want to know the truth! There’s nowhere to hide with video, so expect to see consumers demanding any and all communication they receive via video.

4. Video Calling.
2020 saw a large proportion of the population having to resort to homeworking resulting an exponential rise in the use of video calls.  Last week, Zoom reported a 485% increase in usage compared to a year ago!  This trend is set to continue throughout 2021 together with an expectation from customers for video to be integrated into call centre software.

5. From shoppable video to shoppable entertainment.
When Instagram added the “swipe up” feature allowing users to go from stories straight to product pages, the phenomenon of shoppable video was born.  In 2021, you can expect to see a huge surge in its popularity, as shoppers will continue to prefer shopping online to going out in public places.  What if you could watch an episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Masterchef and add ingredients to your cart with a click! Well, Amazon and Instagram are already on board and Netflix has the technology for it.  It’s coming!

Consumer behaviour is changing and their demand for engaging with video is increasing, with mobile video consumption claiming a yearly growth of 100%.  Businesses are therefore adapting and preparing for the video revolution.  Are you?