Why it pays off
A manual people can follow sells the product twice.
Once when they buy it, and again when they build it without calling you, returning it or leaving a frustrated review. Here's what the evidence says, what customers say, and what it's worth to you.
The problem
Paper manuals ask a lot of tired people.
- Drawings are small, and the difference between two screws is a millimetre.
- One step read wrong shows up ten steps later, when it's hard to undo.
- When it goes wrong, people email you, return it, or review it.
What the research says
Show people how, and more of them get it right.
35% faster, 50% fewer errors
In a Stanford study, people building a TV stand with redesigned step-by-step instructions finished 35% faster and made 50% fewer errors than with the factory instructions.
Large learning boost for hands-on tasks
A meta-analysis of 26 studies found animations beat static pictures, with the largest advantage (d = 1.06) when people learn a hands-on procedure.
13 errors vs 28
In a 21-person assembly experiment, the video group made 13 errors in total against 28 for the printed-manual group (a small sample; the difference was not statistically significant).
Unfinished builds lose their value
People value products they assemble themselves more, but that extra value disappears when they fail to finish the assembly.
62% have made assembly mistakes
79% of UK adults find flatpack assembly stressful and 62% have made mistakes while assembling.
57% saw fewer support queries
57% of video marketers say video has helped them reduce support queries (small survey, 266 respondents).
63% want video, 4% want manuals
Asked how they would most like to learn about a product, 63% chose a short video and only 4% chose ebooks or manuals.
30% of the item price
Processing a return costs retailers an average of 30% of the item's original price.
16.9% of sales returned
US retailers expected 16.9% of their 2024 annual sales to come back as returns, $890 billion in total.
Every figure links to its source. Results from other studies and companies; yours will differ.
What customers say
In their own words, about instructions.
“great assembly video on the web site; when used in conjunction with the written instructions, assembly was easy and quick.”
“self assembled treadmill with assistance from an online video, and it has been used daily since.”
“It was easy to assemble thanks to video instructions (plus paper ones).”
“Instructional videos were clear, parts were labeled well, took less than an hour.”
“The video instructions for assembling were clear and easy to follow.”
“straight-forward and detailed instructional assembly videos (I am not in any way a bike mechanic, and I did fine)”
“The assembly video made it about as easy to put things together as it can be for a bike.”
“I had no problem to assemble the bike just by following the step by step video.”
“the assembly video made it super easy to get set up.”
“It would have been really helpful if there was a video showing assembly. It would have saved hours of frustration.”
“the youtube video & manual both contradict each other and are confusing.”
“the instructions were awful. A multitude of pieces without any identifying tags, its a nightmare to put together. Sorry I bought it”
Public reviews and posts about assembly instructions in general, quoted with links to where they were written. They are not reviews of this service.
What it's worth to you
One film against one return.
Put in your own numbers. The film is paid once and works for every customer who builds the product, for as long as you sell it.
One full film, Express
$169
It pays for itself if it prevents 3 returns,
or 22 support contacts about assembly,
over the whole life of a product that sells for $249.
Your numbers, simple arithmetic. We don't promise a result.