Dwell time
Dwell time is how long a shopper actively engages with a piece of content before moving on, such as the seconds spent watching a product video or staying on a page. In video commerce it measures holding attention, since a longer watch usually means more interest and a better chance of a sale.
Dwell time is how long a shopper actively engages with a piece of content before moving on, such as the seconds spent watching a product video or staying on a page. In video commerce it measures holding attention, since a longer watch usually means more interest and a better chance of a sale.
Dwell time sits earlier than add-to-cart or conversion. A shopper has to watch before they tap, so the seconds they give a video are the first sign the content is working. A clip that loses people in the first moment never gets the chance to sell, however good the product is.
It is not the same as a raw view. A view can be counted the instant a video starts, even if the shopper scrolls past. Dwell time asks the harder question of how long they actually stayed, which is why it tracks closer to real interest than a view count does.
The useful way to read dwell time is by trend and by clip. Compare your own videos against each other to see which ones hold attention, then watch whether the longer-watched clips also move add-to-cart and orders. Length alone is not the goal; attention that leads to buying is.
On beyondRegular
On beyondRegular, dwell time tells you which imported reels actually earn attention on your store, not just on Instagram. A clip that held shoppers on the social feed can still fall flat beside your buy button, and the only way to know is to watch how long people stay. Use it to decide which videos deserve the homepage or a product page, and which to swap out, before you ever judge them on revenue.
Common questions
Is dwell time the same as a video view?
No. A view is usually counted the moment a video starts, so it tells you a clip was reached, not whether anyone watched. Dwell time measures how long the shopper actually stayed engaged. Two clips can have the same view count but very different dwell time, and the one held longer is the better sign of real interest.
Why does dwell time matter for a shoppable video?
Because a shopper has to keep watching to reach the moment they tap a tagged product. If a clip loses attention early, the add-to-cart step never happens, no matter how strong the offer is. Tracking dwell time per clip shows which videos hold people long enough to sell, so you can feature those and replace the ones that drop off.
Related resources
Engagement rate
Engagement rate is the share of people who interact with a piece of content rather than just see it, measured as engagement actions divided by reach or views, times 100. On video it counts watches, taps, likes, shares, and clicks, showing how much an audience actually responds instead of scrolling past.
Bounce rate
Bounce rate is the share of store sessions where a visitor lands on one page and leaves without any further interaction. You calculate it as single-page sessions divided by total sessions, times 100. A high bounce rate suggests the page did not hold attention or match what the visitor expected.