Get best of the week

What is happening in the video services market today?

The coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of self-isolation modes have led to a surge in demand for video conferencing services. What is the quarantine video communication market doing? And what about the future of the market - prospects or satiety?

Stage of zeroing. There will be no mercy

For companies, the quarantine period is the zeroing phase. Entrepreneurs and analysts seriously fear the global crisis that will arise as a result of tough quarantine measures. Fast-growing companies redistribute budgets, directing them to social initiatives and media channels. By changing his enterprises in accordance with new trends, the businessman will ensure a good profit during the crisis.

At first glance, the divide-and-conquer law really rules the business. Brick retail, beauty retail, HoReCa, FMCG are firmly cut off from their real customers, having lost a huge part of their employees and profits. Online businesses - Internet cinemas, electronic libraries, computer and mobile games, video conferencing services - are “Klondike” expanse. According to Google Trends, worldwide, the popularity of search queries on video conferencing has grown 7 times in March, compared with January and February 2020.

At the same time, it was the Internet segment, together with the increase in Internet users, that had already experienced satiety and increased competition. Even those who disowned new technologies a little earlier managed to take their place under the online sun. The question arose. Even online, not everyone will survive.

Using services for video communications, webinars and conferences as an example, XROOM.APP comments on the situation.

Big race mastodon video services market

In 2020, the Zoom program was ahead of Meet, Skype and Microsoft Teams in terms of user base growth. In April, 300 million users were registered with Zoom, the service also allows you to connect to calls without registering. At the same time, some large companies, such as Ericsson, Daimler and Bank of America, prohibit their employees from using Zoom due to security problems with calls.

The so-called Zoombombing also appeared, when hackers can hack rooms and broadcast pornography or violent videos in someone else’s video calls on someone’s order or for their own reasons. As of May 2020, Zoom costs more than the 7 largest airlines combined. Social media users have recognized the monopolist, and when asked about their analogues, they even say: “Like Spotify after Apple Music”.

Small spool but precious. Applicable to SaaS?

However, there will be enough audiences at all. Even if the leader has already taken the throne, then even smaller services find their audience, which appeals to this or that company and the functionality that it offers. Especially considering the fact that small video services are trying to differentiate, winning on something unique, more affordable and at the same time experimental. Small SaaS projects can afford short-term business testing of various options and plug-ins, while every smallest movement of the largest players on the market is under the scopes of 24/7 spotlights, which is why all the shortcomings and erroneous decisions are more expensive.

Also, if the business models of large video services confidently use a large-scale strategy aimed at a wide audience, small video connection tools benefit from the fact that they are focused on more segmented, clearly verified audiences. Accordingly, narrow audiences are offered a more in-depth personalized service, which sometimes closes the needs up to developed custom solutions.

Great services are not so disadvantageous. But for small people, this is their daily bread, and the zone, if not of scaling and growth, then for sure, is the brand’s earnings and reputation.

Major players in the market for video services operate in large strokes. Cookies are required to know as much as possible about visitors and sell user data to other businesses and political structures.

But in the digital world, more and more people gravitate toward products that leave their personal data alone. Data privacy is fundamental to users. Speaking of XROOM.APP, the service architecture is based on peer-to-peer communication. This means that custom video, audio and text do not even reach the servers. Interlocutors are the only ones who have access to their own conversation. Instead of cookie laws, a video service may surprise users with digital fingerprint technology, which negates the need to confirm consent to the study of personal data.

So what to do? Feel the market, expand functionality, personalize
It is extremely important to professionally feel the market, quickly respond to changes and orient yourself, with whom you have to deal with the video conferencing services market, who are indirect and direct competitors. It is necessary to adapt to changes, regardless of whether they play into our hands or against us. A new goal will be to build personalized communication and offer unique services that were not previously available on the market, but which close current pains.

One of the recent announcements from XROOM.APP was the announcement of the launch of emoji, masks and streaming from video rooms to the Facebook social network. With the increasing role of social networks, options such as stream, the use of masks and the addition of text communication with bright emojis captivate users and simplify their lives.

The pandemic hit not only global economic indicators, but also the psychology of people. Therefore, it will not be an exaggeration to call this modern phenomenon a pandemic of loneliness and isolation caused by the virus. Although the services cannot level the isolation completely, their simplicity, accessibility and ease of use, as well as the presence of involving plug-ins can make communication more warm, lively and friendly.

Are video service paths mysterious? Is it possible to understand them?

What business strategies have video services adopted? There are several specific areas in which video services have gone.

Landmark on the B2B segment.

When all physical businesses and their clients went online, it became clear that more business was needed to help businesses survive, adapt to the online, train their employees to work remotely and communicate, manage time and projects. Working with entire corporations is profitable, and for this, a number of video conferencing services have prepared discounts, special offers and bonus resources for users - more time and video call participants - for businesses, in particular for medical, educational, legal institutions, the demand for which skyrocketed during the pandemic. uh

For instance. The American corporation Google has opened access to the corporate video conferencing service Google Meet for all users. Services are interested in having customers spend more time on their platforms and attract more and more new users. Although, due to a sharp influx of the audience, even the largest services have repeatedly failed.

B2C audience segmentation.

Even the most economically developed and stable countries are mired in unemployment. Tens of thousands of people began to build careers online, learn digital crafts, and freelancers and tutors strengthened their positions. But in order to satisfy the demand of all customers for the full program, it’s more efficient not to chant “All is good for all the good”, but to select a golden key for each individual segment of the audience for personal needs, creating communication messages that are similar in spirit.

Leveling the need for registrations or program settings.


With the influx of millions of new users, some video services open wide the doors of their video sites in the literal sense of the word, eliminating the need to install programs and even register. For example, the XROOM.APP service believes that instant access to a video room without registering from any device as an orientation towards the most convenient user experience is a quality standard. Therefore, the tool, which was originally developed as an internal service for video communication between colleagues, even entering the international market, left the possibility for any user to make a one-click video call from any device.

White label model for sale for creating your own branded video rooms.

“Now we especially need to be flexible and push the boundaries of standards. We are following the path of the most comfortable service, which would be as engaging and enjoyable for all participants of the video call as possible. Our audience is growing, our customer base is from small and medium-sized businesses and, accordingly, the monetization of our white label. The main objective of the business of such a model is to take full responsibility for the technical side, while they are engaged in management, marketing and their own clients. In SaaS projects, user experience is the most important and valuable. White Label is mutually beneficial not only in terms of time and energy resources, but also financial. Pack your corporate video room according to our model for a month,a year or even for unlimited time costs clients several tens of times cheaper if they had to order individual developers, ”comments the founder of the tool for creating their own branded video roomsZROOM.APP .

Video service as a format of physical business: transition to online cafes, clubs of interest, language schools, etc.

We see an explosion of creativity when people try to use technology as a bridge over physical distances. People are experimenting with new types of socially distant gatherings: virtual yoga classes, virtual church services, virtual parties.

How long will the demand for video conferencing services last?

A number of analysts are calling for preparing now for the next crisis, since COVID-19 is not a one-time task.

Kristina Konstandake, Commercial Director of Rakuten Viber, confirms that we will solve more and more issues online, and this applies not only to friendly conversations, but also to the organization of workflow and training.

“Although many hope that after the quarantine ends, the situation will change, but this is far from the case. Harvard School of Health designed the COVID-19 distribution model based on US experience. According to the results, people will be forced to maintain a social distance before 2022. The term “distance” means a 75% reduction in contacts with the outside world.

According to a survey by The Harris Poll commissioned by Glassdoor, 22% of employees became anxious due to lack of conversations with colleagues during self-isolation. ”

All businesses adjust to current events. But now, not users have to invest time and energy in working with technologies, but tools work for users. It is clear that the future lies with multifunctional online platforms, and video conferencing services do not risk being sidelined for a long time to come. So, it's time to choose the one that is ideal for you.

More articles:


All Articles