In today's digital landscape, video has emerged as a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience, tell compelling stories, and drive engagement. However, as brands dive headfirst into the realm of video content, they often encounter a myriad of challenges that can hinder their success. From quality issues to creative hurdles, there are several video problems that brands wish they could solve right now.

1) Better Videos

The shift in shopper behaviors from text-based information consumption to video-based content viewing means more shoppers are craving visual elements, such as seeing how products work, the types of individuals talking about them, and their genuine emotions about the products. Why do shoppers want to watch videos while they shop? Because seeing is believing! That’s how brands build trust.

2) Authentic Reviews

The resurgence of authenticity has led to its widespread presence and dissemination through social and mobile platforms. While it was always around, it’s now seen, shared and heard through millions of user-generated images and videos. This poses a heightened responsibility on brands to ensure content is brand-safe, authentic, and inoffensive  when it comes to repurposing UGC content.

3) Mobile Mindshare

The increased mobile usage among shoppers, with an average of 2.16 hours spent on video content, presents an opportunity for businesses to capture a larger market share of the time consumers spend on their mobile devices. However, effectively reaching and engaging customers in this mobile-centric environment has become a significant challenge. The good news? Gaining market share of the hours spent is up for grabs.

4) The Amazon Factor

‍The relentless pace of keeping up with Amazon's innovations has become a constant challenge for businesses. Whenever Amazon introduces a new feature or drives a specific behavior, it tends to become universally adopted. A recent example of this is the introduction of "Amazon Inspire," which provides 24x7 video feeds of reviews within the app, thereby promoting video-centric behaviors. As a result, businesses face the pressing need to understand and adapt to these video-led behaviors in order to stay competitive in the market.

5) Personalized Content

‍The expectation for intelligent recommendations tailored to specific product features, gender, size, and other relevant factors is increasingly becoming the standard in the retail industry. Shoppers are actively avoiding poor shopping experiences, which highlights the importance of providing accurate and relevant product information. In particular, when a shopper expresses a specific preference, such as searching for a coffee machine with a built-in bean grinder, it is crucial to present them with media and content that accurately reflects that desired feature to enhance their shopping experience and increase customer satisfaction.

6) Quicker Path-to-Purchase

‍The evolving expectations of shoppers now include the demand for features that were previously time-consuming, such as summaries of product reviews and the integration of augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) capabilities for virtual try-on or seeing it in my room. Meeting these expectations has become a challenge for businesses as they strive to provide enhanced shopping experiences that save time and offer innovative ways for customers to engage with products before making a purchase decision.

7) Searchable Videos

‍The increasing abundance of image and video assets poses a challenge for shoppers who are faced with the task of navigating through a large volume of visual content. To that end, there is now a growing need for effective image and video search capabilities to assist shoppers in finding relevant information quickly and efficiently. Developing and implementing robust video search technologies has become crucial in order to enhance the shopping experience and enable users to easily discover and access what they’re looking for.

Navigating the world of video content can be a daunting task for brands, but understanding and addressing these challenges is key to unlocking the full potential of this powerful medium. Keeping an eye on emerging trends and adapting to evolving consumer preferences will help you stay ahead of the curve and create impactful video content.

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About the Author

Ajay Bam is the CEO and Co-founder at Vyrill, a first-of-its-kind video intelligence company launched in 2017 through UC Berkeley’s Skydeck Incubator program. Vyrill helps brands and shoppers find the “moments that matter” inside videos. Its AI-powered “In-Video’' search technology analyzes & shares insights hidden within videos to improve personalization, SEO, and conversion. Before Vyrill, Ajay launched Boston-based, mobile shopping app company Modiv Media. He is a proven and accomplished product management professional, entrepreneurial thinker, and innovator with more than 13 years of experience leading startups and world-class brands.