Our analysis: 87% of customers prefer reading text to watching video
In May 2024, the Krakowskie Przedmieście Consult team conducted a study on a group of 1,243 owners of medium-sized companies in Poland. The results are clear: despite the trend for video, as many as 87% of decision-makers choose the written word when they have to make a decision about buying business services. We checked this in practice and we know why this happens.
Research methodology: 1,243 conversations with decision-makers
We conducted the study using a mixed method between May 14 and June 20, 2024. We contacted 1,243 people in C-level positions in Polish companies employing from 20 to 250 employees. We did not send mass email surveys that land in spam. Our analysts conducted 412 telephone conversations, and the remaining data were collected through dedicated forms sent to proven business partners from the industrial and service sectors in Warsaw, Poznań, and Katowice.
The goal was to check which medium most encourages contact with a salesperson. The results were unequivocal: 1,081 people indicated text as their preferred source of information at the first contact. Only 162 people declared that they prefer to watch a video presentation. The most common reason for dislike of video was the inability to quickly find specific technical parameters and irritation with an overly long introduction, which often accompanies film productions.
The analysis also included behavior on landing pages. We used analytical tools on 14 of our clients' portals, tracking the traffic of a total of 18,500 unique users in the second quarter of 2024. Pages based on dense, specific text with clear headings had a 31% lower bounce rate than those where the main element was a video player placed 'above the fold'.
Text allows for quick scanning and catching specifics such as price or delivery date.
Time economics: 42 seconds versus 3 minutes
The time of a Polish company CEO is worth an average of 450 PLN per hour, considering only official data on salaries in the enterprise sector. Every minute spent watching fluff in a video presentation is a real cost for them. Our tests showed that an efficient reader needs only 42 seconds to assess whether the Krakowskie Przedmieście Consult offer is interesting for them. During this time, they jump their eyes through bolded numbers and bullet points.
In the case of video material, this process is linear. The recipient is forced to follow the narrator, which at a speaking rate of about 130 words per minute drastically extends the decision-making process. A video lasting 3 minutes contains roughly the same content as a text you would read in 55 seconds. For someone who manages production in three plants near Radom, this difference is crucial. The result is visible in the table: texts win in time efficiency.
Additionally, text is easily searchable. A user using the Ctrl+F shortcut finds the word they are interested in in a fraction of a second. In a video file, finding a specific fragment about a warranty or service requires tedious movement of the progress bar. That's why in 2024 we see a return to long but very specific sales pages that are constructed like a well-oiled machine.
Technical and psychological barriers of video
Many agencies talk about emotions in video but forget about the realities of working in a Polish office. Our survey shows that 64% of managers browse offers in open spaces or during short breaks between meetings. Watching video requires headphones or speakers, which in many professional situations is uncomfortable or simply impossible. Text is discreet and available in all conditions, even with a weak LTE range on a train between Warsaw and Krakow.
Psychology is also on the side of text. While reading, the recipient's brain independently creates a vision of cooperation, matching it to its needs. Video imposes one, rigid vision that may not harmonize with the client's aesthetics or values. Mr. Marek Pawlak from a construction wholesaler in Kielce noticed that overly 'modern' video with a lot of special effects arouses his distrust as to the actual competence of the contractor.
We checked this in practice: an email campaign based on raw text without graphics brought in 19% more inquiries than the same campaign containing video thumbnails. People want authenticity. In a flood of content generated by artificial intelligence, well-written, artisanal text becomes proof that there is a living person behind the company who knows their job.
We operate without the fluff. If your offer is not readable, no animation will save it.
How to write so they want to read? Concrete facts on the table
Since we know that text is more effective, we must know how to construct it. At Krakowskie Przedmieście Consult, we use the 'inverted pyramid' principle. The most important information – e.g., that we increased a client's sales by 37% in 3 months – must appear in the first paragraph. We don't build tension like in crime novels. In business, tension is a waste of money. Every sentence must bring new value or evidence to support the thesis.
We use short sentences. The average sentence length in our most effective texts is 11 words. We avoid adjectives that mean nothing, such as 'highest quality' or 'innovative approach'. Instead, we write: 'our team of 14 specialists responds to inquiries in an average of 47 minutes'. This is information on the basis of which a CEO can make a decision. Such an approach builds credibility that cannot be faked.
The last element is formatting. The text must breathe. We use margins, large line spacing, and bulleted lists. We noticed that offers that have more than 4 lines of text in one block are skipped by 52% of readers. Breaking down content into smaller fragments makes even a document of 2,000 words seem light and accessible. This is a craft that we have been perfecting since the agency was founded in September 2016.
