Just how important is video on consumer purchasing behavior? New research from marketing video platform Animoto breaks it down by generation—and from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, video is a crucial component of branding today, especially on social media.
The consumer study showed that 70 percent of millennials trust brands with videos about their products more than brands without videos. The survey also revealed similar browsing and purchasing habits for Gen Z, Gen X and baby boomers—metrics that are key for businesses looking to zero in on a particular customer base.
Key findings reveal:
- 58 percent of consumers visit a brand’s social media pages before visiting their website, an 81 percent increase over last year.
- Video ads were the #1 way consumers discovered a brand they later purchased from.
- 1 in 4 consumers made a purchase after seeing a Story on Instagram.
- YouTube replaced Facebook as the #1 platform that affects consumer behavior in 2019.
“Today, video is the language businesses use to tell their story and build their brand, because it’s the medium audiences prefer,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO & co-founder of Animoto, in a news release. “Brands get the most out of their marketing efforts when they understand their customer, where she finds new products, and what influences purchases.”
Different age groups prefer different platforms
- Millennials chose YouTube, Facebook Feed, and Facebook Stories as the platforms where they spend the most time.
- Gen Z rated Instagram as the platform where they follow brands.
- Gen Z and Gen X rated YouTube as the platform they use to discover new products.
- Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X rated YouTube as the platform where they make purchase decisions.
Video gets attention on social
- 60 percent of Gen Xers prefer video when learning about a new brand or product.
- 52 percent of Gen Xers and 41 percent of baby boomers said video was most helpful when making a purchase decision online.
- 52 percent of Gen Z trusted brands with videos about their product more than brands without videos.
Need input making marketing videos? Animoto can help.
Animoto surveyed a representative sample of U.S. adult consumers and adult marketers at companies that have created at least 2 videos in the past year to learn about social media and video marketing practices. The web-based survey was fielded August 15-20, 2019, with a sample size of 1,000 consumers aged 18 years or older and 500 video marketers at companies with 3 or more employees. For the consumer survey, the margin of error was 3.1%; for the marketer survey, the margin of error was 4.4%.
