Survey: Interactive Video is the Future
Real-time engagement video platform Agora released a study indicating that Gen-Z consumers are hungry for interactive videos, especially in gaming.
The survey of more than 1,000 Gen-Z respondents found that nearly 90% had been using more apps with built-in interactive features. About 70% said interactive functionality is important to the gaming app experience, suggesting interactivity is becoming table stakes in that sector.
But the desire for interactivity is not limited to gaming scenarios. Seventy percent of Gen-Z consumers said they would like retailers to include AR and VR in their apps so that they can test out or try on products.
Of course, we might approach a survey by an interactive video platform about the love for interactive video with some caution. But there are other signs that interactive video is the future of online customer engagement, increasingly taking over both online ads and shopping experiences.
Live selling — when influencers or other retailers hawk products on live social streams — has taken off in China, and Western retailers are rushing to adopt the format. Clickable features, part of the broader growth of social commerce, allow consumers watching a video on Instagram or TikTok to interact with it and buy immediately, shortening the path to purchase.
Ikea grabbed headlines in 2017 when it introduced an AR-powered feature that allowed its customers to envision, using their smartphones, what an article of furniture would like in their own homes. This year, IKEA stepped up its game, allowing consumers to design entire rooms with AR. Interactive video became personalized video: the opportunity for consumers to choose their own adventure with products using a business’ interactive tools.
Finally, in ad tech, interactive videos that let consumers choose how to engage with advertisements is setting a new standard for engagement, relegating not only static ads but also non-interactive and unchanging videos to the past.
The upshot is that it is fair to say that in gaming, retail, social, and advertising, interactive is the future of video. Apparently, Gen-Z is ready for it.
