What Unnikrishnan Kurup Teaches Us About Video-Native Commerce
Unnikrishnan Kurup, Director of Client Consulting and Strategy at Theorem, has spent two decades helping brands refit customer journeys for digital behavior. His interview focused on how video earns trust when it solves real customer problems and continues through the buying experience, not just at the top of the funnel.
The conversation mattered because it pushed past campaign talk. Kurup pressed for continuity from discovery to purchase, credible human voices, and outcomes that tie to conversion, average order value, and retention. He also named the shift ahead as video-native commerce, in which video becomes part of the product page and decision process, not only a media unit.
Across his stories, Kurup returned to the same anchor. Useful, human content builds confidence. He cited MAGGI Diaries, Nescafé’s Ikigai work, and regulated healthcare examples to show that relatable context, not claims alone, moves people. He also described helping BMW expand launch content to include video and instruction because luxury buyers still research online.
He was direct about common mistakes. “The biggest mistake is starting with the video rather than starting with the problem.” He also warned against treating video as social-only while leaving static product pages unchanged. The future he outlined was clear: video embedded in owned experiences, measured by business outcomes.
Start with the problem, then plan the video
Kurup advised teams to begin with customer uncertainty. Do people understand how the product works, what size fits, what setup looks like, or what to expect after purchase. He framed video as a tool to reduce hesitation, not a box to check in a channel plan.
For production teams, this reframes briefs. Before writing a script, confirm the top three questions buyers ask and which ones hurt conversion. If a page has high exits after sizing, a product demonstration video could walk viewers through sizing in 40 seconds. If returns spike due to setup confusion, an unboxing can address the first five minutes out of the box.
Connect discovery to purchase without a reset
Kurup highlighted a gap many brands leave open. Shoppers see creator content or a demo, then land on a static product page with images and bullets. The context falls away, and confidence drops. He argued for continuity, where the product page carries the same story and proof the shopper just saw.
In practice, that calls for product pages that put relevant e-commerce product videos where shoppers can see them early in the decision process. If a creator video drove the click, the page should show that style of use in the hero module. Maintain the same language, angle, and sequence. Do not make viewers start their research over. Keep the thread intact from social to site.
Use credible human voices and real contexts
Kurup pointed to MAGGI Diaries, where the women featured were not endorsers but advocates whose cooking lives mirrored the audience. He also noted Nescafé’s Ikigai campaign and work in healthcare, where people described their own experiences within compliance. His line on authenticity was precise: “Authenticity does not mean being unpolished or unprepared. It means being true, useful and human.”
For brand video, that means cast for relevance, not only reach. Select customers, creators, or experts who actually use the product in the way the target audience does. Script lightly around real tasks and settings. In regulated categories, set boundaries early, then let participants explain in their own words how they navigated a problem and what changed.
Treat video as part of the commerce experience, measure outcomes
Kurup expects video to shift from campaign asset to core of the product evaluation experience. He used the term video-native commerce to describe product pages and owned environments that integrate interactive, shoppable, and educational video. He tied success to three KPIs for direct-to-consumer work: conversion, average order value, and retention.
A related lesson for product video production is to set a measurement plan before filming. Decide which questions the videos will answer, where they will live on the site, and what success looks like. A how-it-works clip on a PDP should aim to increase adds to cart. A comparison video should reduce abandonment on the comparison page. Tie creative decisions to the outcomes they need to influence.
Applying Kurup’s lessons to video marketing today
Map one product journey and mark the moments where confidence drops. Use support tickets, on-site search, and PDP heatmaps to identify the sticking points. Then script two or three short videos that clear those hurdles in sequence. Keep each clip focused on one job, such as fit, setup, or use-in-context, and plan for site placement, not only social clips.
Build continuity from creator content to owned pages. When a creator shows a specific use case, mirror that scenario on the landing page with a matching video module. Use the same terms, same angle, and similar pacing. Add one interactive element that helps the shopper act without scrolling, such as size selection in-frame or a comparison toggle.
Select voices the target customer will accept as credible for the task at hand. If the barrier is installation, feature a technician or an owner walking through the process in a real space. If the barrier is regimen adherence in healthcare, film within approved language and tools, but let the patient or clinician narrate their routine with clarity and respect.
Team Beverly Boy’s Takeaway
We heard a simple directive we can use with clients right away. Do not start by asking what video to make. Start by finding the moment in the journey where trust breaks, then film to repair it. We also agree that the handoff from social to site is where many teams lose momentum. The page has to pick up the same story the viewer just saw.
Video-native commerce is coming into focus. We see value in building product pages that play short, task-based clips first, with proof and instruction close to the buy button. When we plan shoots, we will press for outcomes and page placement up front, so every scene has a job beyond engagement.
Conclusion
Kurup’s interview reframed video work as experience design. Useful, human clips that solve specific problems, delivered in the same sequence a buyer follows, build confidence. Treat video as part of the product page, not an ad that sits apart, and measure it against the outcomes that fund the next round.
Anchor each video to a concrete buyer question, carry that story from discovery to the product page, and assess impact on conversion, average order value, and retention.
This article is based on an interview originally published by Authority Magazine. Read the full interview here.
