If you want to be successful in ecommerce, a big part of your job is convincing your customers you can be trusted. Now more than ever, consumers trust their peers more than they trust brands. Finding ways to turn customers into your advocates is key to building brand trust. But how do you do that? This is where user-generated content comes in.
User-generated content, also known as UGC, is any kind of content created by consumers for a brand. Some forms of UGC include hashtag campaigns, social media content, video content and testimonials. Adding UGC to your content strategy is a great low-cost high-impact method to increase sales and build trust with customers.
84% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations above all other sources of advertising. If shoppers constantly see that people that buy your products are happy with their purchase, they’re more likely to buy from you. We'll go over a few examples of brands big and small, killing it with user-generated content to inspire your content strategy.
Fabletics is on a mission to be the world’s most all inclusive active lifestyle brand, believing everyone deserves to look and feel their best. They strongly align their vision with the content they share across their website and social channels. Fabletics includes user-generated content throughout the customer journey. One example is through giving customers the ultimate chance to be featured on their Instagram if they use the hashtag #MyFabletics wearing their clothing.
Fabletics takes their hashtag campaign to the next level. Their website includes a dedicated gallery for customer and influencer photos. Customers can easily upload photos directly to their site. Fabletics even takes it a step further and makes the gallery shoppable. As shoppers browse through the gallery, there's "Shop Now" call-to-actions they can click on to purchase the entire outfit. Customer photos are also included in Fabletic's product pages making it easy for someone to imagine what the outfit may look like on themselves.
STHLD Gear is a brand that’s passionate about the outdoors. They offer a variety of apparel for outdoor activities like fly fishing, camping and hiking. STLHD Gear is a great example of using user-generated content to boost customer trust. UGC posts shared on social media see a 28% higher engagement rate than standard brand posts. STLHD Gear uses their Instagram to repost images of customers decked out in their gear, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. Highlighting this kind of content sticks to the core of their brand, resonating well with those who share the same love for the outdoors. Their hashtags #stlhd and #stlhdgear has accumulated over 50,000 posts from customers.
After seeing what their apparel looks like in action, visitors can shop their Instagram right from their UGC posts. Not only do they build their customer created content, STLHD Gear goes the extra mile and uses BuySafe to guarantee all their customers' purchases.
UGC is so effective for Target, that they developed dedicated social media pages with over 5 million followers combined to share this kind of content. Their feed, curated by the Target Style Council, is all about fashion and beauty on a budget. Instead of photoshopped supermodels, their #TargetStyle pages are filled with images of everyday people wearing and using their products. Many of Target's product pages include photos shared by real customers. From the robust range of body types and skin tones shared, shoppers can see themselves in Target’s products, deepening their trust with the brand.
Target blends user-generated content into their mobile app experience as well. When searching for clothing, home items or even baby clothes, you’ll find real images from real customers. Target also makes it easy to upload images when reviewing products. They include “Verified purchase” tags to relieve the concern of fake reviews. Target is a great example of a brand seeing the power in user generated content and integrating it into their entire online shopping experience.
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