Employees retain 95 percent (Jonathan Symcox, The Future of Corporate Training: Why Video-Based Learning Is Taking Over, BusinessCloud, 2025) of a message when it’s delivered through video — compared to just 10 percent through reading. That simple fact explains why so many organizations now rely on it as part of their learning strategy.
Video doesn’t just tell — it shows. Visual learners can watch how something works, replay tricky parts, and absorb real-world context. It’s a natural fit for people who learn best by seeing and doing. And because it can be paused and revisited, it supports flexible, self-paced learning without added pressure.
In this article, we’ll look at the real benefits of using video in e-learning, and offer strategies for designing video content that supports all set learning outcomes. 🤓
Summary
- Why video works so well in e-learning
- 7 key benefits of using video in e-learning
- Practical use cases of video in e-learning
- How “Blue Carrot” can help your business
- Conclusion
Why video works so well in e-learning
Video is more than a delivery format — it’s an excellent tool for helping people understand and retain information. Here’s why it works so well:
- Shows how things work in practice: With visuals and sound working together, video demonstrates real processes more clearly than text alone. It’s especially useful when explaining complex or technical topics.
- Fits into real life: Learners can pause, rewatch, or skip ahead whenever it suits them. This flexibility supports self-paced learning and makes it easier to grasp one topic at a time.
- Keeps people thinking: Interactivity, storytelling techniques, and repetition encourage emotional connection in learning and promote deeper engagement.
- Works for more people: Video supports different learning styles and access needs, making it ideal for inclusive training. It also encourages social learning methods by giving teams shared reference points they can discuss, reflect on, or build upon together.
7 key benefits of using video in e-learning
Video for e-learning enables organizations to train smarter, faster, and at scale. Below are seven key e-learning video benefits:
📌 Boosts engagement and retention
Video combines motion, sound, and visual cues to hold attention more effectively than static formats. This makes it easier for learners to stay focused and absorb key ideas. In fact, 93 percent of educational institutions report that video is effective at improving learner satisfaction — a clear sign of its value.
📌 Makes complex topics easier to understand
Video is especially effective for simplifying complex concepts by combining dynamic visuals, narration, and structured delivery. Interactive elements like branching scenarios or clickable content promote engagement and improve comprehension. One example is our e-learning course for Gen Z students, where we used decision points and clickable features to enhance learner focus and retention. Research supports this approach: interactive video significantly boosts learning effectiveness compared to static formats (Zhang et al., Information & Management, 2006).
📌 Supports self-paced, flexible learning
Video supports informal training methods by letting learners control the pace. Whether at work, at home, or on the go, they can pause, rewatch, and continue anytime. For organizations, this means training resources can reach distributed teams consistently without sacrificing quality or scalability. This flexibility is crucial for employees juggling work, training, and personal responsibilities.
📌 Reduces SME dependency over time
Once recorded, video allows subject matter experts (SMEs) to share their knowledge without being pulled into repeated live sessions. A single, well-produced video can replace hours of one-on-one explanations or instructor-led walkthroughs. This not only preserves expert time for higher-value work, but also ensures consistent delivery — especially important for onboarding, technical instruction, or compliance training. For many organizations, this consistency is a clear example of why video learning is better than traditional formats.
📌 Enables better tracking and personalization
Modern platforms let teams track views, quiz results, and video consumption patterns. This data supports personalized learning paths and helps identify gaps, allowing better targeting of resources and updates. It also enables personalized learning paths, such as recommending follow-up content based on skipped segments or low quiz scores. Over time, it helps teams improve content quality and adapt training to different roles, regions, or experience levels.
📌 Allows for faster localization and AI integration
Instead of rebuilding entire courses from scratch, teams can update video for e-learning using templated animation, modular scenes, or simple voiceover swaps. With the help of AI, like synthetic voiceovers, avatars, and automated subtitles, adapting content for different markets or languages becomes much faster and more cost effective. Over time, your video library can evolve into a searchable knowledge hub, enriched with AI-driven features like auto-tagging, transcripts, and personalized content suggestions.
📌 Delivers scalable, cost-efficient training
Once created, a video for e-learning can be reused and distributed across teams, locations, and time zones with virtually no additional cost. This makes it ideal for high-volume training programs, like onboarding, compliance, or upskilling, where consistent delivery matters. There’s no need to coordinate live sessions or cover travel and instructor expenses. According to a report by the Brandon Hall Group, e-learning can reduce training time by 40–60 percent (Best Practices to Convert Instructor-Led Training to ELearning, Shift-Logo-2021, 2025) compared to traditional instructor-led formats — a result that reflects the power of scalable video-based learning strategies.
Practical use cases of video in e-learning
Organizations are using video to solve specific training challenges, whether it’s speeding up onboarding, standardizing technical instruction, or reaching multilingual audiences. The examples below show why use video in e-learning and how it helps teams deliver clear, consistent learning at scale, without overloading internal resources.
👉 Onboarding and orientation
For roles with defined procedures and safety requirements, video can streamline onboarding by showing exactly what’s expected and reducing the need for repeated live instruction. It’s a practical demonstration of how to use videos for e-learning in environments where clarity and consistency are essential.
In a project for a logistics company specializing in white-glove delivery, Blue Carrot developed a structured e-learning course combining over 30 minutes of animated video content with scenario-based walkthroughs. The training covered daily workflows, safety standards, customer interaction protocols, and equipment handling. Content was localized into English and Spanish to support teams across regions.
By integrating storytelling techniques into the scenarios, the course helped new hires engage with the material more deeply and understand the “why” behind each action. The result? Reduced onboarding time, consistent delivery across teams, and better alignment with company standards, regardless of location.
👉 Scenario-based animations and demonstrations
When training involves safety protocols or regulatory requirements, scenario-based animation helps learners understand not just what to do, but why it matters — a key factor in boosting memory retention during high-stakes instruction.
Blue Carrot partnered with Studio.SE to create an e-learning course that guided learners through industrial safety practices using realistic animated scenarios. The course used visual storytelling to simulate common workplace risks and demonstrate correct responses step by step.
By embedding these scenarios into the training, Studio.SE ensured learners could apply the rules in context, not just memorize procedures. The video-based approach improved engagement, reduced learner confusion, and strengthened team safety awareness.
👉 Technical training for operational safety and procedures
For international teams working with strict safety and operational standards, training must be accurate and consistent, regardless of language or location.
An energy sector client partnered with Blue Carrot to update and localize over 120 hours of technical e-learning content. Using AI avatars and a streamlined workflow, the team localized 485 lessons into eight languages, migrating them from Learnify to Articulate Storyline while maintaining SCORM compliance and ISO 17100:2015 standards, enabling more effective adoption through scalable delivery and built-in support for social learning methods.
We delivered a scalable, multilingual training solution that improved knowledge retention and compliance training across global teams, without inflating production costs.
👉 Core skills training across multiple languages
Delivering core skills training to a global workforce often means balancing speed, consistency, and cost, especially when working across multiple languages.
Brainedge collaborated with Blue Carrot to launch a large-scale e-learning initiative involving 94 courses localized into English, Spanish, and French. The project was completed in just four months by leveraging AI-assisted translation, pre-built templates, and modular content design. This approach allowed for rapid production without compromising instructional quality or visual consistency. Each course was adapted for linguistic accuracy and platform compatibility, enabling a smooth rollout across regions.
The client successfully launched its multilingual learning platform on time, ensuring all learners, regardless of language, received the same clear, high-quality training experience. These are the kinds of results seen in many startup video success stories, where fast, scalable training is crucial for rapid growth.
👉 Civic education and societal participation
Explaining democratic values and civic engagement to a global audience requires clarity, cultural sensitivity, and engaging formats.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) partnered with Blue Carrot to produce over 50 minutes of video content focused on democratic development and civic participation. To present complex political ideas in a relatable way, the course blended whiteboard animation, live-action footage, and illustrated overlays. This visual mix helped break down abstract topics, such as the rule of law, civic responsibility, and institutional structures, into clear, accessible lessons.
The result was a culturally adapted educational series meeting pedagogical goals and communication standards. It also supported community engagement by making civic concepts more understandable and relevant across diverse regions.
How “Blue Carrot” can help your business
Blue Carrot is a full-service training video production company helping organizations transform complex topics into clear, engaging training experiences. Since 2014, we’ve partnered with corporate, academic, and nonprofit clients to deliver content for educating and empowering employees.
We combine instructional design with implementing storytelling in e-learning videos to build tailored video-based learning, from compliance and onboarding to soft skills and civic education.
Our services include:
- End-to-end e-learning training video production: From scriptwriting and storyboarding to animation and voiceover, we handle the full production process.
- Instructional design and curriculum development: We work closely with subject matter experts to structure content for clarity, engagement, and measurable outcomes.
- AI-powered multilingual localization at scale: Automated workflows, synthetic voiceovers, and standards-compliant translation help us deliver localized content quickly and cost-effectively.
We guide clients through every step of the workflow in e-learning video content, from planning and scripting innovative ideas to production and delivery.
Conclusion
Video is no longer a nice-to-have in e-learning; it’s a proven tool for making training more effective, scalable, and accessible.
With today’s AI tools and streamlined production workflows, creating high-quality, multilingual video content is faster and more accessible than ever. For teams looking to modernize their training strategy, there is no question as to why video learning is better.
If you’re ready to elevate your learning strategy, video is one of the most practical, flexible, and cost-effective ways to do it. And if you need a partner to make it happen, Blue Carrot is here to help. 🥕
