NEW YORK, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Animoto, the leading online video creation application that empowers anyone to create and share extraordinary videos, today reported new survey results that detail the positive impact video has in influencing purchase decisions and driving brand engagement. The recent Animoto Online and Mobile Video Study surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers and revealed that nearly three quarters (73 percent) of respondents are more likely to purchase a product or service if they can watch a video explaining it beforehand. The company also published an infographic detailing these findings, available here.

"The business benefits of using video to increase discovery, traffic, engagement and conversion are widely documented," said Brad Jefferson, CEO of Animoto, "but we were curious about whether consumers actually find business videos helpful. The data shows that there's a real power in business videos to help people make confident shopping decisions. Further, consumers develop a more positive impression of companies that use video and even find such companies to be more trustworthy. Businesses that don't embrace video are overlooking a valuable way to reach their customers and will struggle to keep up with the competition."

Videos Play Pivotal Role in Decision-making During All Stages of the Customer Experience
Nearly all respondents (96 percent) find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online – creating a tremendous opportunity for small businesses to capitalize by offering more video. The findings also show that videos hold tremendous value for driving brand awareness throughout the purchase process as well as post-purchase engagement:

• 93 percent of respondents find video helpful in comparison shopping.
• 87 percent of respondents find video helpful for researching additional items from the same brand.
• 93 percent of respondents find video helpful for instructions post-purchase.

Video Drives Brand Engagement, Leaves Consumers with Positive Impression
Video helps businesses connect with their customers and leaves consumers with a positive impression of their brand:

• 71 percent of respondents agree that watching video content produced by businesses leaves them with a positive impression of a brand/service/company.
• Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents find it helpful to watch videos to learn more about the company they will purchase from.
• 58 percent of respondents consider companies that produce video content to be more trustworthy.

Consumers Speak Out About Video Preferences
Longer videos are not necessarily more effective, with 83 percent of respondents citing the ideal length of a video to inform a purchase decision is five minutes or less. Respondents also had interesting views on what types of video they would like to see more. From a tour of a restaurant's ocean view to an interview with a conference speaker, people want to watch more video across industries, products and services:

• 42 percent of all respondents would like to see more product description or service demonstration videos, such as a 360 view of a product, how to play a game or use a phone.
• People would like to see more video content about electronics (57 percent), restaurants (39 percent), travel (34 percent) and exercise/fitness (33 percent).

Animoto makes it easy for businesses to create effective, professional videos within minutes with no video editing experience. Businesses use Animoto to enhance and promote their brands, drive website traffic, increase sales, and create dynamic email, social and online marketing campaigns. For more information go to: http://animoto.com/business. 

Animoto Online and Mobile Video Study
Animoto surveyed a representative sample of U.S. adult consumers to learn about consumer perception and experiences with video marketing as a promotional medium. The web-based survey was fielded December 26-30, 2013 with a sample size of 1,014 (Margin of error +/- 3 percent at a 95 percent confidence level).

About Animoto:
Animoto is the leading online video creation application for consumers, professional photographers, businesses and educators that empowers the creation and sharing of professional-quality videos using pictures, video clips, words and music. The company's patented Cinematic Technology makes it easy to preserve your memories or promote your business through the power of video in just minutes from a computer or mobile device. Founded in 2006, Animoto is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco. For more information, visit animoto.com and sign up online or download the iPhone, iPad, or Android apps.

Animoto and Cinematic Technology are registered trademarks of Animoto Inc. 

SOURCE Animoto Productions