What exactly makes Netflix so successful? Or, as the online marketing publication The Drum asks, “Why does Netflix continue to dominate among streaming services?”
There certainly isn’t a lack of choices when it comes to streaming TV shows and movies online; between Netflix, Hulu (and Hulu +), Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and slews of questionable (and illegal) streaming websites, it’s clear that some pretty successful companies are all trying to compete by providing the same service.
But as one recent iModerate study found, out of the 2,500 respondents who participated in a survey regarding online video streaming services, Netflix was “singled out as the service that could potentially replace traditional cable and satellite TV services,” The Drum stated.
Although participants explained that the variety of shows on Netflix is the biggest benefit of the service, while 14% of participants couldn’t name one benefit of Hulu and 23% of respondents, when asked about Amazon Prime’s Instant Video service, stated that the biggest benefit was the free 2-day shipping for Prime members (i.e., something completely unrelated to the video streaming service).
Furthermore, it’s interesting to note that Netflix actually has many of the same exact shows as Hulu+ and Amazon Prime Instant Video, save for its Netflix Original Series shows like Orange is the New Black and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
The real reason why Netflix is so popular among American consumers isn’t actually related to the variety of its shows at all. Instead, the company’s ability to build a positive brand, coupled with its attention to web design and video quality, is why Netflix is so successful.
With e-commerce websites — like video streaming services — generating about $1.2 million in sales every 30 seconds, it’s clear that consumers simply have too many options to remember them all unless each business creates and maintains its own distinctive brand.
Most recently, Netflix launched a new design for its website that mimics the mobile web design already in place. Netflix ditched the slow-moving carousel browsing, Business Insider and Fortune report, and users can access detailed information about titles without clicking a link which directs them to another screen.
The new layout Netflix now has allows for continuous browsing, but more importantly, the sleek dark color scheme and fast navigation is indicative of how often Netflix is revamping its service; considering that 94% of first impressions are design-related, Netflix simply looks like a more advanced streaming service.
So will Netflix continue to stay on top for video streaming services? Perhaps, but only if Amazon and Hulu don’t revamp their own branding and web design strategies.