What Is Video Commerce?
Video commerce - also called v-commerce or shoppable video - is the convergence of video content and online shopping. Rather than using video purely for awareness or consideration, video commerce makes the video itself a transactional surface: products are tagged, prices are displayed, and purchases can be initiated and completed within the video player.
This concept originated in Asian markets (particularly China, where platforms like Taobao Live drove billions in sales through live video commerce) and has rapidly spread globally. Platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, and YouTube Shopping have all invested heavily in video commerce infrastructure.
Forms of Video Commerce
Video commerce exists in two primary formats. Live video commerce involves real-time streaming where hosts demonstrate products and viewers purchase during the broadcast. Pre-recorded video commerce uses edited or AI-generated videos with embedded product tags that remain shoppable indefinitely after publication.
The pre-recorded format is far more scalable - a single shoppable video can be viewed and purchased from millions of times after creation - and is the core capability that Bryft delivers for ecommerce brands.
Key Metrics for Video Commerce
- Video view rate (what percentage watch beyond 3 seconds)
- Product tag click rate (how many viewers interact with product tags)
- Add-to-cart rate from video (how many tag clicks result in cart adds)
- Video-attributed revenue (total sales initiated from video)
- Video-to-purchase time (how quickly viewers convert after watching)
Real-World Example
A homewares brand deploys Bryft-generated shoppable videos on their website product category pages. Each video showcases 3–5 complementary products from their catalogue in a styled room scene. Visitors who interact with the shoppable videos have a 3.1x higher conversion rate than those who only see static images, and their average order value is 47% higher due to multi-product discovery.