How to integrate UGCs at key moments in the buying journey?
If you are here, it is because you have already gone through the best practices to put in place to increase sales on your e-commerce site and you are still dissatisfied. And you are right, because in fact we can always go further and there are always new techniques to be put in place.
E-merchant like you are, we suspect that this is not the first time you have heard about UGC, but just in case, we are going to give a brief introduction to the subject. The term UGC comes from the English User Generated Content and refers to all the content (photos, texts, videos) created by the users of a brand (customers as well as influencers).
It is not surprising to note that 70% of customers are influenced in their buying decisions by UGC. The reason is simple: trust is at the heart of every relationship, even business relationships! Before making a purchase on your site, the customer wants to be reassured on several points: does the product (or service) correspond to their needs? Is the quality there? Is the site reliable? Are their customers satisfied? You can answer these questions yourself, but the customer won't believe you (after all, you're an interested party). But a word from another satisfied customer? Oh, now the thing is changing. Trust is earned and the new buyer's mind is at peace of mind. So how can you take advantage of this source of content and trust?
What are the advantages of including UGCs in your e-commerce site?
Most brands have a certain amount of UGC content. There are always customers who post or share stories on Instagram and TikTok, who leave a comment on a third-party review site or retailer, or who post on other networks.
But most brands don't make the effort to use this content and insert it on their website. And yet, it is on the site that the customer will make the final decision whether to buy or not, and where he therefore needs reinsurance!
Advantage nº1 of Putting UGC on your site
By including UGC on your website you will first of all improve your brand image, as well as gain credibility and authenticity.
Remember that buying online always involves a bit more risk than buying physically. The customer can't see or touch your product, they can't ask immediate questions to a salesperson, and they can't see if there's anyone else in the store with them. In fact, 49% of online shoppers Regret is not able to see or touch the product. So, seeing UGCs on the site proves to him that you are indeed trustworthy and that others before him have had positive experiences, which improves the image and credibility of your brand.
Advantage nº2 of Putting UGC on your site
In addition to making you gain credibility, UGCs serve to reassure visitors and lower return rates.
Reinsurance is a key factor in customer conversion. It comes at the final moment, when the mouse wobbles on the “add to cart” button. The customer is almost convinced, but hesitant. The images match his expectations, the price is fair and the description is clear... but he still needs something. Is he being duped? A customer review or a photo (both UGCs) are essential at this point in time to push the customer to buy.
If, thanks to UGC, your customer has a better idea of what they are buying, the probability that they will return the products automatically decreases.
Benefit nº3 of Putting UGC on your site
Finally, by adding UGC content to your site you will improve your SEO.
How is that possible? Each time you add new content to your page, it leads to new indexing by search engines! In addition, UGCs are the perfect example of consumer research, and therefore better respond to a Query Than any keyword.
3 ideas to promote UGC on your site
Now that we've realized the benefits of UGCs, here are a few ideas to highlight them and get the most out of them.
UGC idea nº1: customer reviews on the product sheet
Customer reviews are essential for the conversion of new customers. This is a habit that Internet users of all ages have internalized well: they scroll, often without paying attention to the product description, until they find the comments section left by other customers.
However, text-based customer reviews are often not explicit or detailed enough. A “top product, I recommend” will not succeed in reassuring a new customer. On the other hand, a photo or video where the customer shows the use of the product, or how the product is presented in real life, will be much more useful in terms of information for a new buyer! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
UGC idea no. 2: images of influencers carrying the products
If you work with influencers or if you are lucky that one of them posts your brand organically, highlight this content on your home page or on your product sheets.
Influencers have large communities that have tastes similar to theirs and who trust them when it comes to making a purchase. If an Internet user recognizes an influencer on your site, it will increase trust in your brand! In fact, 70% of French consumers are influenced in their buying decisions by UGCs.
In addition, the images and videos of influencers are often much more careful and qualitative than those of customers. It is therefore the perfect content to show the more aesthetic side of your product without it being branded content.
UGC idea #3: web stories on the product sheet
If you were not yet aware of What is a web story, it is simply content in the form of a story but hosted on a website and not on a social network. Pretty simple, right? It is in its simplicity that we find its genius.
Internet users are already well used to the story format: it is digestible, fast, and very visual! By adding web stories to your product sheets or home page, you can offer valuable information quickly or highlight UGCs in their native format.
In addition, web stories are a content format that involves mobile browsing, an essential factor to remember when you realize that 61% of online purchases are made on mobile.
A final detail
UGCs have particularities that it is important to know before starting to use them. One of the main issues related to UGC is the intellectual property of the content. Often, unless previously granted, ownership of the content belongs to the customer or influencer. That's why we always recommend working with A UGC management tool like Wiink. Thanks to a networking platform, all the particularities related to the rights of ownership or use of the content are managed successfully, and all that remains is to create the content (on the side of users and influencers) and to use it (on the brand side).
There are also tools like that of JOIN Stories, which allow you to insert web stories on any website using widgets. It is a technology that makes it extremely easy to add UGC content without having to rework the entire website!
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