9 YouTube Video Ideas for Ecommerce Businesses + Tips

Social media platforms have opened new doors for brands to reach audiences at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing channels. In a study of more than 100 senior brand marketers, 70% said that organic social media content can cut marketing costs by about half. 

YouTube remains one of the strongest platforms for such efforts, with nearly half of its users engaging with brands on a weekly basis and 32% daily. This level of engagement offers rich opportunities to capture attention and build relationships. 

Here are nine YouTube video ideas to get you moving toward your marketing goals, plus seven tips for creating entertaining content to reach your target audience. 

9 YouTube video ideas

1. Product launch videos
2. Behind-the-scenes videos
3. Introduction videos
4. Compilation videos
5. Reaction videos
6. Challenge videos
7. Review videos
8. Educational content
9. Unboxing videos

Here are nine creative video ideas to spark your brainstorming and inspire your YouTube channel:

1. Product launch videos

Product launch videos highlight new or upcoming products or features, the inspiration behind the product, or the problem it solves. Trixie Cosmetics—founded by drag icon Trixie Mattel—regularly posts entertaining videos for things like holiday collection launches and product spotlights. All of these videos reveal what’s new while also blending humor into the brand storytelling.

2. Behind-the-scenes videos

Your workspace, creative process, or production challenges give people a real look at what it takes to run your business. Lexi Larson shares the realities of building her clothing brand, Sunday Cherries, on her YouTube channel, from logistics nightmares to design iterations, and even her profit margins. Sharing this kind of behind-the-scenes information shows your authenticity and builds trust with your audience.

3. Introduction videos

If you’re new to YouTube or just launching your brand, create an introduction video that serves as your channel trailer. Briefly explain who you are, what subscribers can expect, and what sets your content apart from the rest. Keep it short—just enough to get the point across. Welcome new subscribers, like how Sundays for Dogs introduces who it is as a brand and how it was formed in one of its first YouTube videos.

Introduction videos can also take other forms, like team intros that turn the spotlight on the people behind your brand. Small businesses can feature short videos of each staff member to help viewers feel more connected and familiar with your team.

4. Compilation videos

This format can be a good option if you’re short on time and can reach back into your video footage archives. It could be a year in review compiling all the best moments of running your business from the past year. Collect, for example, positive customer reactions, funny moments, or behind-the-scenes highlights. Camera and accessories brand GoPro frequently edits together epic shots filmed with its cameras for compilation videos.

5. Reaction videos

Reaction videos from a business perspective can show your take on industry trends or customer feedback. Beverage brand Liquid Death took a bold approach in dealing with criticism by creating a reaction music video that turned negative reviews into a country song.

6. Challenge videos

Challenge yourself to fill a massive order on a tight deadline. Or, test if your product can withstand extreme conditions—like Mous dropping a phone in one of its protective cases from unbelievable heights—to prove your product works. These kinds of business challenges can create entertaining content that boosts engagement. 

7. Review videos

If your customers love your products, put them front and center with either user-generated content (UGC) or by creating content that tells their stories. Peloton does a great job of featuring real members whose lives have been transformed through fitness. Stories like these help build trust and influence purchase decisions. To create your own review videos, include a mix of quick sound bites and in-depth reviews that answer questions new viewers might have. Film natural conversations instead of scripted statements for authenticity.

8. Educational content

How-to videos, video tutorials, or explainer videos can build authority and drive traffic. Teaching your audience something useful not only helps them solve problems but also positions your brand as an expert source. A great example of educational content comes from outdoor gear retailer REI. The brand frequently deliver more value to customers beyond simply selling equipment by creating educational content about the outdoors, like how to set up your camping equipment. 

9. Unboxing videos

Unboxing videos are some of the most popular on YouTube and, conveniently, also some of the simplest to set up and film. From a business perspective, you unbox materials you need to create your product or fulfill orders, or even unbox your unreleased product as a preview for customers. For BarkBox, user-generated unboxing videos came naturally given their subscription boxes bring dog treats to eager customers.

Tips for creating YouTube content

• Learn by watching popular videos
• Use AI tools to streamline your process
• Plan your hooks
• Don’t overthink
• Be strategic with your budget
• Use YouTube Studio
• Be authentic

The magic of social media is that it doesn’t need to be perfect, and YouTube is no exception. Particularly when you start new accounts, more is more: The more content you put out, the more data you get in return. From there, you can experiment and dial in on what works. Here are a few tips to get started: 

Learn by watching popular videos

Explore what other brands in your industry or category are doing—not to copy their content, but to draw inspiration from their content marketing strategies. By researching what your audience connects with before creating your first YouTube video, you can determine what gaps and opportunities might exist. Look for themes across viral videos or how-to videos relevant to your industry, and consider what unique perspective you can bring to the format.

YouTube offers a wealth of resources for learning everything from creating your own videos to optimizing your own YouTube channel. You can use YouTube search just as you use a search engine like Google to find whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s tutorials on editing software like Premiere Pro, social media strategy tips, or beginner-friendly video ideas. 

Use AI tools to streamline your process

Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude can help with brainstorming, content planning, and organizing ideas. These AI tools can help you build content calendars, create shotlists, and cluster your ideas into themes. Use them to find overlapping topics, repurpose copy, or generate ideas for illustrative infographics. 

The key is getting specific with your AI prompts. A generic prompt for a fitness brand, such as “generate five ideas for workout videos,” might produce overly broad results. However, combining what you know about your audience with clear instructions can yield more targeted results. In this example, your prompt may look something like: 

Act as a positive, relatable fitness influencer who focuses on [specific outcomes, e.g., functional strength or sustainable habits]. Using the audience research and product roadmap I’ve provided, generate five easy-to-produce video ideas that:

• Align with audience goals and pain points

• Feel authentic and conversational

• Show the product naturally without feeling like an ad

• Provide education, motivation, or inspiration

Plan your hooks

The first few seconds of your video are crucial for capturing attention. A good YouTube video idea starts with a strong hook that establishes what your video will cover and sets expectations for what’s to come. Some strategies for hooks include:

• Opening with a surprising fact

• Starting with a big problem you have to solve

• Making a bold statement about your industry

• Using a consistent, recognizable intro for a series

Don’t overthink

“A lot of times people think they have to be perfect—they have to have the perfect camera setup or make the best videos right off the bat,” says YouTuber Amanda Rach Lee on the Shopify Masters podcast. “But the beauty is you learn along the way, and your videos improve.” 

Amanda, who has more than two million subscribers on YouTube following her bullet journaling content, says that just getting to the uploading stage is one of the most important steps. “Done is better than perfect because nothing’s ever going to be perfect, and if you keep telling yourself and waiting for something to be completely perfectly packaged, then you’ll just hold yourself back and you’ll never do it,” she says.

Be strategic with your budget

When you’re just starting out, you don’t need to drop thousands of dollars on production equipment to make a video. At first, the priority should be creating quality content that resonates with your audience, not mastering advanced camera settings or high-end gear.

Many tools you already have, like your smartphone, are great for filming. While most shoot in 4k resolution, you often don’t even need that high a resolution. For example, when uploading YouTube videos, a 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second works well for talking-head videos or tutorials. Natural light is the simplest way to get great visuals, whether filming outdoors or by a window. For audio, something as simple as a lapel mic can improve your audio without a big investment.

From there, experiment with your initial setup to find out what works best for your content. You may find that a DSLR camera is worth the upgrade for capturing more detail, or that a microphone is the more valuable investment to make the most of your talking head videos. This way, you can optimize your production budget to align with your progress. 

Use YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is a free all-in-one hub you can use to manage your content. In the hub, you can edit and upload videos, respond to comments, and track video performance. 

One of its most valuable features is analytics. You can see how all of your content—whether 30-minute videos or YouTube shorts—is performing. Insights like engagement rates, viewer drop-off points, and watch time help you understand what content resonates most. Understanding whether explainer videos or user-generated product reviews drive the most engagement, for example, makes decision-making for your next video easier and more strategic.

Be authentic

Sharing your honest opinion is one of the most important aspects of creating YouTube content because it helps build trust with your audience. It can also help you maintain an audience over the long haul because it’s easier to be consistent when you’re being authentic. 

“When you’re yourself, you give other people the permission to be themselves as well,” says YouTuber-turned-entrepreneur Lyn Allure on the Shopify Masters podcast. Lyn turned her success into several businesses, all thanks to her authenticity. “You cultivate a community that is truly there for you and what you have to speak about,” she says. “If you put up a facade, it’s hard to maintain that—and you create a community that’s interested in a version of you that doesn’t really exist.”