A trusting customer relationship in the online, but also in the offline world, is the be-all and end-all of a successful company that wants to operate successfully in the market. The decisive factors for this: transparency and authenticity. Only those who create a trusting connection with customers across all channels can create valuable experiences for individuals with products and brands. Moving images can be an important bridge here, linking the online and offline worlds. And on a global scale. Do you know the song “I’ve never been to New York” by Udo Jürgens? New York is considered a mecca for fashion. What a classic, but unfortunately not every fashion enthusiast has the chance to attend New York Fashion Week. For some time now, major fashion industry labels have therefore been breaking new ground when it comes to appealing to audiences beyond the catwalk and implementing the experience of fashion collections online – the trend is clearly moving towards digital, live and in real time. It’s much more about authentic images that consumers want to see and relate to. Particularly exciting: as a recent survey by Vanson Bourne has now found out, different video content is preferred depending on the time of day. For example, in the morning 56 percent of respondents watch moving images in the form of short clips and news (46 percent), while in the evening they prefer videos in the form of films (51 percent), series or soaps (28 percent). Interest in streaming offerings remains relatively constant, with 17 percent preferring them in the morning and 19 percent in the evening. However, the trend is upward. What is surprising, however, is the preferred end device: while TV is still preferred by 47 percent, the PC or laptop is clearly the frontrunner for 63 percent when it comes to video content. It is therefore not surprising that international fashion labels are increasingly taking the digital route for customers, for example by offering a live stream of events. This enables them to respond more specifically to the individual demands of their customers, because customer expectations of brands have changed rapidly in recent years: consumers demand a maximum of information with a minimum of effort. Since 2011, the production of moving images has increased by about 80 percent. No other medium than video can meet these requirements. The industry is thus striking an important chord with the times, because consumers’ viewing habits are changing in parallel with the consumption of content. The ability to deliver inspiring content in a high-quality viewing experience in real time online on the label’s website, compared to traditional television, represents a unique medium for storytelling, whereby brand awareness can be built. Well-known companies such as Hugo Boss have been successfully using streaming for years: the new BOSS Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 fashion show by Artistic Director Jason Wu <a href=”https://www.hugoboss .com/de/boss-fashion-show/“ target=”_blank“ title=”per Livestream”>via livestream</a> in real time, which was supported by the Brightcove service for the seventh time. So how can an approachable brand be created in today’s world? As customers increasingly live in a world dominated by services, the relevance of human interaction, empathy and personal contact increases – the value of “going to the store” and browsing through physical products (more than just searching on websites) should not be underestimated in this age of digital transformation. It is precisely these individual and physical elements that make the online experience an exclusive shopping experience. In addition to ratings and reviews, questions and answers, and brand-relevant images or posts, these also include videos that have an impact on consumer behavior in social networks and through integration into online shops. Video is therefore developing into an important sales channel: the use of both live streaming and vlogs will increase significantly in the coming years within the already rapidly booming e-commerce market. The advantages of video integration are clear: * Increasing attractiveness by making the shop more distinctive from the competition * Increasing attention for the individual product * Supporting the purchase decision by integrating 360-degree views * Easy integration of logos, additional text and a speaker for products that require explanation This form of interactive shopping experience has already been taken up by many online providers. Of course, moving images allow customers to get to know the product up close, just as they would in a real-life store. For e-commerce sites, but also for fashion labels, the integration of multimedia content is of particular value because it allows buyers to have a “come in and try it on” experience on a permanent basis.
