If we talk about GIFs, surely many of the creations that have swarmed the Internet in recent years come to mind. And yet, the GIF format is not something of now but It has more than 30 years of life behind it. It was born as a graphic format back in 1987, was overshadowed by other formats for years, and generated expectations again as of 2010. It currently triumphs on the web in different ways, all as effective as they are successful.
Really animated GIFs have become a phenomenon; a form of expression used every day both on and on other platforms. And it is that, if we analyze them in detail, They have many benefits for eCommerce and in general for digital marketing. This has also been seen in , which has launched After all, they are simple to create and use, but a super format in terms of the advantages they offer. Let’s see it in detail.
10 advantages of GIFs for eCommerce and digital marketing
As we said, there are firm reasons why it is interesting that you integrate GIFs as part of your online strategy. It may seem strange that such an old format continues to triumph in the 21st century, but its versatility makes it unique and successful when it comes to promoting any eCommerce or online business. Also:
1. They are easy to consume
the gif is the graphic format with the greatest compatibility in browsers and devices, even emails (only Outlook 2007-2013 is not able to play them). So much so, that in 2015 more than 100 million animated GIFs were shared on Twitter alone, despite the fact that the social network had not yet integrated the GIF search engine on its website and app.
2. As short as users require
GIFs are based on sequences of images that, if they were too long, would carry too much weight, more so than a video. This implies that the creators of GIFs have to condense the essence of what they want to tell in a few seconds (sometimes even less than a second), thus fitting in with today’s consumption patterns, where that maxim of “what good, if brief, twice good”, is the one that prevails.
3. Better than images and more comfortable than videos
One of the reasons why GIFs work so well is because they integrate the best of the images by showing them in an animated way (more visual and attractive), and on the other hand they are easier to edit than any video clip, without the need for elevated costs, large teams, etc. This versatility, as we pointed out above, is one of the reasons for its tremendous success. Precisely for this reason they are used for ultra-short videos in product tutorials or similar.
4. They are mobile-friendly
GIFs are spread throughout the network, in different social networks and mobile applications, since they provide information or sensations quickly and easily. In addition, they do not require loading external scripts capable of embedding the videos, nor the use of specific codecs to decode the video. These are some of the advantages they offer for all types of mobile devices.
5. They tell a story
By being able to use different images or elements, GIFs allow you to tell in a few seconds much more than a static image, and that gives the format a multitude of additional dimensions. This could be an example:
6. They get users hooked
The GIF gives the user the necessary time to get hooked: a lot of information in a short space of time and in a format that is very easy to decipher. And if we also add some humor (remember that many of them are made in a humorous key), success is almost guaranteed. And for sample…
7. Makes advertising stand out and more fun
This format has completely revolutionized the way in which brands promote new products or publicize their functionalities or characteristics. Brands like Vans or Nintendo, without going any further, have used them in some campaigns with successful results.
8. They force you to think “outside the box”
There are many GIFs, but to succeed with them and impact the consumer, it is necessary an innovative approach. For example, the game with different elements, mixes of video and image, etc. The ideal is to get out of the ordinary or use creativity to capture people’s attention.
9. There is a lot of content in GIF format
Not only in social and mobile networks there are animated GIFs. There are platforms like Giphy, the GIF search engine par excellence, that accumulate over 150 million creations, or its competitor Tenor. In any case, if you want to share a GIF with your audience, you have many options on different platforms.
10. They work perfectly in email
Also in the mails you can add animated GIFs. And they will give a lot of game! Since the web and mobile still do not support the inclusion of videos, GIFs will be the perfect alternative to surprise our customers in a fun or visually attractive way.
So if you have an online store or want to boost your business through , don’t forget to include GIFs in your online strategy. Share them or encourage yourself to create your own. You will see that today there are several tools that will simplify the process.
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