Screen Time, Anytime

Brands Crushing the Seamless Video Experience

In a world where we're constantly being told to limit screen time, there's a delicious irony in how brands are fighting harder than ever to earn their slice of your viewing minutes.?

But not all screen time is created equal, and the smartest companies are making sure they're meeting you on every device you own—phone, tablet, laptop, TV, and whatever shiny new gadget is coming next.

Take QVC Group, for instance. Remember when they were exclusively your mom's late-night shopping companion? Those days are gone.?

Like that friend who disappeared after college only to resurface with a complete glow-up, and QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail) has transformed from cable TV mainstay to omnichannel commerce trendsetter. As of February 21, 2025, they've officially ditched the Qurate name—a rebrand that signals a clear move beyond traditional television shopping.

And honestly? I'm all in for this omnichannel evolution.

The Shop Around the Corner... is Now Everywhere You Look

Picture this: You're scrolling through TikTok when David Venable—yes, that David Venable, the QVC host who's been serving kitchen charm for nearly three decades—pops up to demonstrate a Ninja Woodfire smoker-grill combo.?

Before you know it, you've clicked "buy now" and your backyard barbecue game just leveled up. Later that evening, the same product appears in a YouTube video on your TV, with more detailed specifications. The next morning, an email arrives with companion recipes tailored to your new purchase.

That's not science fiction. That's Project Athens in action—QVC's three-year transformation that's less about PowerPoint decks and more about meeting you wherever your eyes are wandering and your thumbs are scrolling.?

It’s omnichannel strategy with a pulse.

CEO David Rawlinson puts it perfectly: "I don't mind people using the term 'TV shopping,' but the better description is 'video shopping' or v-commerce." It's like when Prince changed his name to a symbol, except this rebrand actually makes sense.

The results? Streaming viewership up 23%, with viewers tuning in on everything from Roku to YouTube to Amazon Fire TV. Still only 5% of their total minutes, but like that sourdough starter you've been feeding since 2020, it's growing steadily.

What makes this fascinating goes beyond the platform shift—they've maintained the human connection that made QVC successful in the first place. When David Venable shares his weight loss journey, he creates a genuine connection, inviting you into his life rather than merely selling kitchen gadgets.?

In an age where we're all suffering from algorithm fatigue, there's something refreshingly real about a person (not a pixel) telling you why this air fryer is worth your money.

Meanwhile, at the L.L.Bean Headquarters...

While QVC was renovating its digital house, L.L.Bean was quietly building a YouTube cabin in the woods—and then connecting it to a whole neighborhood of content experiences.

The outdoor retailer once known primarily for those indestructible tote bags and duck boots has transformed its YouTube channel into a central hub within an interconnected content ecosystem.?

Want to know how to set up a tent in a downpour? Watch the tutorial on YouTube, shop the featured gear directly from embedded links, get weather alerts in the L.L.Bean app suggesting the perfect moment to use your new tent, and share your experience on social media to unlock additional content.

Their "Be an Outsider" ethos transcends a mere tagline on a billboard—it's a content strategy that helps you enjoy the outdoors across every touchpoint with the brand. It's like having a park ranger in your pocket, on your desktop, in your inbox, and even on your TV screen—all working together to enhance your outdoor experiences.

And their recent Northern Attitude Collection? You'll find it woven throughout their video content on YouTube, featured in interactive stories on Instagram, and showcased in their retail locations with QR codes linking to even more video content. The collection feels less like a product line and more like a multi-platform content experience.

Game Changers: Tools & Titans

While established brands are reinventing themselves, a new generation of companies is changing the video game entirely:

Runway: Where AI Meets Steven Spielberg

Imagine if you could text "create stunning product demo with mountain backdrop" to your phone and receive a professional-quality video seconds later. That's essentially what Runway's?AI video generation tools are making possible.

Their latest Gen-3 model lets you control camera angles and movements with the precision of a Hollywood director—minus the crew, equipment, and that one guy who always brings tuna for lunch on set day.

For small brands without Marvel-sized budgets, this is like being handed the keys to the studio. The playing field hasn't just been leveled; it's been reimagined entirely. The corner boutique can now create content that looks like it belongs alongside Super Bowl commercials.

Shopify: Building the Omnichannel Backbone

While some companies are creating the content, others are building the infrastructure that makes omnichannel video commerce possible. Enter Shopify, which has evolved from a simple e-commerce platform into an omnichannel commerce operating system.

Shopify's latest suite of tools doesn't just help merchants sell online—it creates a unified commerce experience that connects videos to sales, regardless of where customers encounter them.?

Their Shop app now features enhanced video capabilities that let merchants showcase products in action, while their integration with social platforms turns Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube shorts into instant shopping opportunities.

What's brilliant about Shopify's approach is how they've eliminated the technical barriers between "watching" and "buying."?

When a customer sees a product in a merchant's video—whether on the brand's website, social media, or even in-store displays—they can purchase with just a few taps, with inventory and pricing automatically synced across all channels.

For smaller brands without enterprise budgets, this democratization of omnichannel video commerce is game-changing. A boutique clothing store can now create the same seamless, video-rich experience across platforms that previously only retail giants could afford.

The Omnichannel Playbook: How They're Crushing It

Looking at these success stories, a clear playbook emerges for brands killing it across channels:

• The Human Touch in a Digital World: QVC's hosts create connections that algorithms can't. In a world where we're all suffering from digital fatigue, a genuine human perspective cuts through the noise like a hot knife through butter. Their strategy ensures that whether you're watching on a smart TV, phone, or laptop, you're getting the same warm, personal experience.
• Be Useful and Purposeful: L.L.Bean goes beyond merely showing products; they teach skills. Their YouTube strategy works because their content helps you do things better, positioning their products as the obvious solution. Their videos work equally well embedded on their website, shared in emails, or discovered through search.
• Technology That Empowers Cross-Channel Creation: Runway's AI tools amplify creativity rather than eliminating it, allowing brands to quickly generate video assets that can be adapted across platforms. One concept can spawn dozens of platform-specific variations without multiplying the workload.
• Trust Through Authentic Voices Across Platforms: Shopify merchants are finding that authentic video demos from real people—whether staff, customers, or founders—outperform polished production across all channels. By powering these authentic video experiences from website to social to mobile app, Shopify is enabling brands to maintain trustworthy voices wherever customers encounter them.

What’s Next? The Future of Omnichannel Video

If I were placing bets on where omnichannel video is headed (and honestly, I kind of am), here’s where I’d put my chips:

The omnichannel video landscape is evolving fast, and a couple of emerging trends could take these strategies to the next level:

• Shoppable TV: QVC’s streaming success is just the beginning. Smart TVs are now letting viewers buy products—like that Ninja Woodfire smoker-grill—directly from shows or ads with their remotes. It’s v-commerce meeting the living room, blending convenience with that personal touch David Venable perfected.
• Micro-Content Ecosystems: Think of L.L.Bean’s YouTube hub, but supercharged. Brands are crafting families of short-form videos (5-30 seconds) that link together across platforms—each piece standalone yet part of a bigger story. Shopify merchants, for example, could spin one product demo into a TikTok teaser, an Instagram story, and a YouTube short, all driving the same journey.
• Cross-Device Continuity: Start watching a product demo on your phone while commuting, continue on your laptop during lunch, and finish the purchase on your smart TV that evening—with the experience adapting to each screen without missing a beat.
• AI-Generated Personalization Everywhere: Imagine receiving product demos tailored not just to your preferences, but to the specific device you're using. On your phone? Quick, vertical video. On your TV? Cinematic widescreen experience.?
• Live Shopping That Feels Like Hanging With Friends: The future of QVC isn’t just moving to streaming—it’s creating experiences where shopping feels like a social activity again across platforms, not just a transaction. Join from any device, invite friends, and interact in real-time.
• Interactive Storytelling That Follows You: Click on a jacket in a hiking video to see its specs on your laptop; the same product appears in your Instagram feed later with different styling; tap a promotion in your email to pick up where you left off. The line between platforms and shopping journeys will continue to blur.

Your Turn: How Will You Crush It Across Channels?

As you sip your coffee (or wine, depending on when you're reading this), consider how your brand could step up its omnichannel video game:

• Channel Audit: Where does your video content currently live? Where are the gaps? Are you creating platform-specific content or just repurposing the same assets everywhere?
• Consistency Check: Does your brand feel like the same entity across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, your website, and other channels? Or are you presenting different personalities on different platforms?
• Customer Journey Mapping: How could video guide your customers from awareness to purchase across multiple touchpoints? What content would they need at each stage, on each device?
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Are your social, email, website, and retail teams aligned on video strategy, or are they creating content in silos?

The brands killing it in omnichannel video orchestrate seamless experiences that follow customers wherever they go, adapting to each platform while maintaining a consistent core message.

Because at the end of the day, your customers don’t think in channels—they want great experiences, any time, on any screen.

What’s your biggest omnichannel video challenge? Are you killing it on one platform but struggling on others? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I read every response!

Ready to connect with me here on LinkedIn? Tanya Thorson

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