In December 2018, 300 American consumers were researching streaming services. Netflix.com and Amazon.com both ranked number one, the first in Digital Sales and the latter scored better on customer experience themes. This article introduces you, as a marketer, to the successes of Netflix.com and Amazon.com.
1. First impressions count: keep it simple
In the first phase of our research, customers are asked to quickly explore the website that appealed to them most when searching for a streaming service. Both Netflix.com and Amazon.com create good first impressions. This is mainly due to their short and simple customer journey.
2. No obligations when subscribing to a streaming service
The Netflix.com website clearly shows what you can expect from the service: Watch anywhere, anytime. Users can watch series and movies anywhere they want, on any device they choose. No download required! This is clearly about giving users complete control over content and how and where they want to watch. Additionally, the streaming service offers the option to opt out at any time, displayed on the homepage: Cancel anytime. The required level of commitment is very low because users can cancel at any time, they get their first month free, and no download is required. A low barrier for consumers who want to try the streaming service because there's hardly any commitment.
3. Amazon uses a different approach: focus on content is great but a bit overwhelming
Where Netflix strongly concentrates on its service and the benefits of their offering, Amazon.com sells its proposition to potential streamers from a different perspective. The Amazon Prime video streaming service strongly emphasizes its product range: From the content list, Prime enables visitors to easily watch a trailer or see other streaming options offered by Prime Video. Moreover, Amazon Prime is more than just video streaming, which makes it a bit more difficult for Amazon to promote their product because it encompasses much more than just videos.
The major disadvantage of Amazon's Prime Video page is that the focus on the product range creates a very busy page. The eye doesn't land on visually striking parts and only sees the content. Users don't know where to start, something Netflix.com does better as we can see by looking at questions like "I immediately felt like I would be able to find a product here that meets my requirements." Netflix scores slightly higher than Amazon on that point. However, there's a caveat here: Netflix provides a clean landing page, but it's difficult to find the product range. The best of both worlds would be the answer here: give a customer a glimpse of what you offer and put the main focus on the service.
4. Supported by a strong brand: Prime Video is trusted because it's part of Amazon
The great product range fits well with what parent company Amazon does: providing a place to get everything from shopping to streaming. Having a wide range of products plus a trusted brand makes customers more appreciative of Prime Video: "Backed by Amazon, I feel like it would be okay to try it." Or as another customer puts it: "Amazon has everything from shopping to great digital services." Exactly the reason why Amazon.com ranks number one in the CX ranking; customers trust a big brand like Amazon and they have a wide range of shows and movies to choose from.
Keep It Short and Simple
Amazon.com and Netflix.com both show that KISS is still as relevant as ever. Keeping it Short and Simple is, among other things, what made customers choose Netflix.com and Amazon.com over other providers like Hulu.com and Sling.com. In this case, both companies' offerings are straightforward (e.g., streaming services), something that might not be the same for an insurance company or financial institution that can offer more than one service. However, it does give you an idea of how you can make information easily available to your customers.
What you can learn from Amazon.com and Netflix.com
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Keep it short and simple: Netflix.com performs better than the competition in overall preference due to its simple and clean homepage. In three steps, the customer gets all the information they need.
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Low barrier: Netflix.com and Amazon.com don't look too far ahead. Yet they ensure they provide all the information needed, they must create high lifetime value for customers. With a 30-day trial period, subscribing to one of the streaming service companies feels like no obligations: "They immediately tell you what you can do: watch on any device, download and no contracts. They also say you can participate for free for 1 month and I like that."
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Focus on content: Amazon.com clearly shows its offering, something study participants appreciate. One participant says they like the following: "Options of new and previously aired shows as well as Amazon-only products."
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Make being a trusted brand a priority. YouTube, for example, is not a streaming service brand like Netflix and Amazon are. Being trusted is not easy to achieve, but with a strong focus on premium service and a high-quality product, you might be able to play with the big players.
In summary: promoting a service or product is a bit like dating. Make a good first impression, don't share too much, KISS, make sure you don't talk too much about the future, and allow the other person to also have control over the future of the relationship.
Want to learn from the best?
By learning from top performers like Netflix.com or Amazon.com, you can improve your website today. To this end, there's a free summary of the complete report on the Streaming Services market available for download. This will help you with insights into this market, so you know where you stand relative to consumer expectations and others' experience in the market. Our complete report shows what your key improvements and highest priorities for conversion optimization are. Interested in another industry? Get in touch!
