How WebClip2Go makes integrating video into the online retail Child’s Play
Using video retail provides a Dutch toy store with a nine-fold reduction in returns and associated costs
Case Study
TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ (Tim’s Toy Farm) is a specialist toy store showroom that has sought to expand its reach across the Benelux region using online retail.
But the online toy retail market is incredibly competitive, and the nature of the TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ products is very specialist; their rich imaginative basis, the quality of their build, materials and detailing, the evocative nature of toys which cross a generational divide – these are all things that can be difficult to communicate through a website, without the ability to play, feel and experience. Toys are inherently tangible things that stir the imagination through touch. How could a website come close to emulating that?
It was therefore apparent to TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ from an early point in their online endeavours that integrating video into the website would be a key source of competitive advantage, coming as close as possible to the ‘real’ purchase experience of a showroom.
The advantages of video for online retail businesses
TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ describe using video in the process of online retail as having a ‘Salesperson 2.0’. They used a video format with a ‘stand-in’ customer viewing and interacting with the products, and having a salesperson pre-emptively answer questions that TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ knew from experience were common amongst potential customers. They identified that customers found this more reassuring – and had greater confidence in the accuracy of the information – than they would for a written Q&A segment on the website.
In addition, TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ noted that one of the central benefits of video was that by managing customer expectations from the get-go, they saw a dramatic reduction in returns. They stated:
“Probably the most important benefit is the massive reduction of returned goods. We saw a reduction of 90%!! By creating good video content, we managed customer expectations. If you send what you promise, you have a happy customer. If you promise the moon and send a brick, the customer is disappointed, and chances are the product will be returned. But promise a brick and send a brick and the customer gets what he expects. Hence, no reason to return the product.”
Of course, the TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ beautiful farm toys are far more than simple bricks, but being able to accurately communicate the size of the product, its durability, functionality, appearance under various lighting conditions – all of these gave customers the equivalent of scoping out the product in a real-world setting. No hidden surprises.
And if you work in the world of retail, then you don’t need telling of the costs associated with the returns process; from facilitating return postage, to processing, cleaning, repackaging, restocking and relisting the items – not to mention the administrative complexities. These costs are often so prohibitive that the product is essentially written off, which is not only expensive but ethically dubious in times when there is increasing concern about wasteful consumption. As such, reducing returns significantly decreases operating costs, whilst improving the environmental (and thus reputational) credentials of your business.
Why WebClip2Go revolutionises the possibilities of video
Implementing video was – initially – not an easy undertaking for TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ. Because they were using conventional video editing techniques, which were time consuming and required the services of a full-time video editor with the requisite expertise, the process wasn’t merely costly, it was actually becoming prohibitively expensive – delivering no tangible ROI. Something had to change. The core idea of using online video was sound, but the process needed work.
When TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ learnt of the WebClip2Go system, the benefits of its innovative approach to video production were immediately apparent. In essence, it would cut out all of the costs and time associated with the editing process. More than this though, it didn’t just reduce video production to ‘the time it takes to shoot’, but – by using batch production techniques – actually meant multiple videos could be produced at once. This meant that TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ needed to invest much less time and money on video creation, whilst maximising the benefits of developing video content for their entire product range. WebClip2Go gave them the opportunity to focus on their core business, without letting the idea of videos as a marketing mechanism consume their every waking moment. In the words of TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ themselves:
“WebClip2Go allows extremely efficient production of videos. Where we used to produce maybe 10-20 videos per week, we can now do 50 in half a day. This is a major time saver and allows us to focus on our business rather than turn our business into a video production company. It’s like accounting: we must do it, but it is not our core activity. Video should not turn into our core activity. WebClip2Go realized that for us”.
The bottom line benefits
Ultimately, TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ are able to identify tangible ROI benefits – maximising the marketing advantages gained from video use (as well as the logistics benefits such as reduced returns), whilst minimising resource input. Moreover, with the process streamlined, partially automated and so quick and easy to implement, the business now spends far less time asking ‘should we make a video’ and if so, ‘how should we do it’ – they simply get started.
Summarising the benefits of implementing the WebClip2Go as part of their strategy to secure competitive advantage over other online toy retailers, Jan Roelofsen, CEO of TIM’S SPEELGOED BOERDERIJ said:
“Our objective was to increase the conversion and reduce the returns. No fancy pink cloud ideas, very business driven. After all, video must deliver ROI just like anything else we do. With 10-20 videos per week and a full-time video editor, that was tough, or rather: impossible. With WebClip2Go, creating a video is a breeze. We have no meetings over which product videos to make, we just make them. Deciding whether to make a video takes as long as making the video! So, we just make them, and we have a great ROI!”
Ultimately, the growth secured by the company since the introduction of WebClip2Go’s video production tool has actually allowed them to buy out their biggest competitor.
With the incredible functionality and processing power that WebClip2Go possesses, it’s certainly no toy: but it is as fun and simple to use as one!
