Amazon's 5* device onboarding - Video Marketing Examples #16

^{Obligatory disclaimer: This isn't an ad or sponsored content. We simply wanted to share this analysis with you as a great, recent example of video marketing.}

“Alexa - show me a perfect example of customer onboarding.”

Smart speakers are a biiiiig deal. Research suggests there are 128 million voice assistant users in the US - with projected growth to nearly 136 million by 2022.

This market is still dominated by Amazon Echo - their devices are reportedly owned by 20% of US adults, despite stiff competition from elite brands like Google and Apple.

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But calling them ‘smart speakers’ hardly does these devices justice. 

Products like Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub now have full HD displays - meaning they can be used to watch movies, news bulletins, browse the web and more.

This presents many opportunities - and significant challenges. As adoption grows and the products reach less tech-savvy consumers, how do you make sure everyone gets it?

If you don’t understand what a product can do, you’re clearly far less likely to use it to its full potential. And, given that the first smart speaker was only rolled out in 2014 - this is still really new technology that not everyone just automatically ‘gets.’

So - to unlock full value - it’s crucial that new users are quickly shown what they can do, and how to do it.

Video plays a crucial role in this!

When you power up your brand new Echo Show, for example, the first thing you’re shown is a video which explains how to use your new device. You can see it in this Geek Street setup video...

The tone of this onboarding video is perfect:

An effusive welcome, followed by the short, simple and powerful: "Here are three things to try first..." 

The focus here is clearly on not overwhelming the viewer with dozens of things, or reams of new information, but getting them to a point of knowledge quickly.

The video - beautifully animated and presented in a really slick flat design style - gives you a clear idea of the main, most popular features for beginners - while also inspiring you with other possibilities. 

It even calls out at the end of the video that these are just a few ways to use the device - and if you want to find out more ways, you can ask Alexa - “Alexa, what can I say?” A perfect call-to-action which signposts the viewer towards the next step in the product education.

Amazon’s official YouTube channels are also peppered with incredibly useful content designed to inspire and excite... 

...while also offering a clear message to ‘might-buy’ users that, if you invest in an Echo device, Amazon is a company that does invest in content to support and help you have the best possible experience. 

Feeling inspired?

This is just one powerful example of how investing a little in the first part of your user experience can pay off a lot. 

Frankly, without onboarding like this, our suspicion is that a lot of Echo Show customers  - especially those who are given one as a gift - would simply not understand, nor have the inclination to find out how it works and the value it can offer them.

By using an animated onboarding video, Amazon helps every customer understand at least 3 things they can do using the Smart Speaker. This, by definition, reduces the chances of it ending up in a drawer gathering dust. 

And no doubt it’s the same for your product or service too: by making sure your customers can at least do a few things really easily to help them get value from their purchase - you’re well on your way to fruitful, long-term customer relationships, with more positive reviews, better retention and repeat purchases.

Let’s talk about how we can help you onboard your customers with animated video.