• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, November 30, 2012

Mobile views of product videos rose 150% on Black Friday and 164% on Cyber Monday compared to the year before, according to just-released data tech platform Invodo, which provides video commerce solutions for brands and retailers. The tech shop also said that consumers who watch product videos on mobile devices are three times as likely to make a purchase.

Given that product videos overall are playing an increasing role in consumers’ shopping decisions, marketers can glean best practices from a range of product video metrics. That includes obvious ones like views, but also less-obvious ones like ratings and comments. Invodo analyzed 30,000 ratings of videos from more than 100 retailer and brand clients in a recent white paper on this topic. Here are some tips that marketers can rely on when making brand or product videos.

—More information is better: About 55% of complaints in comments came from consumers who said the video didn’t present a complete description of the product. “This means that when creating videos for products, retailers should not assume anything is obvious, while making sure they’re demonstrating the most important features,” Invodo said.

—Make the use case clear: About 21% of complaints said the video didn’t show how a product is used, or the measurement or sizing information. Be sure the information is clear.

—Put the video in the right category: Some product videos are “shelved” in the wrong sections, according to 10% of complaints. “For example, a shopper was looking for a specific product video and instead watched a video about the entire product line,” Invodo said.