Report: UGC drives UK online shopper sales
September 27, 2022
A survey of UK consumers has underlined the importance of authentic content – User-generated Content, especially – throughout the online customer decision journey
The survey, The 2022 eCommerce Content Trends Report, from StoryStream, the visual commerce platform for authentic online shopping experiences, and IMRG, the UK eCommerce association, today releases, reveals that 91 per cent of respondents said that they are more likely to remain loyal to a brand (i.e., buy from them again) that they find trustworthy and authentic, and 73 per cent of respondents said that User-generated Content (imagery shared on social media, reviews from customers, etc.) has directly influenced their online purchase decision-making.
The report also reveals current consumer attitudes towards Live Video Shopping and shoppable video feeds: 62 per cent of respondents said that they would like to see more Live Video Shopping streams from brands they follow online, while 57 per cent of respondents said that Live Video Shopping would increase their likelihood of purchasing a product.
Additional findings from the report:
- 95 per cent of millennials are more likely to remain loyal to a Brand that they find trustworthy and authentic, versus 84 per cent of Gen Zs.
- 73 per cent of respondents said that brands that share User-generated Content are more trustworthy than brands that do not.
- When choosing what to buy, User-generated Content has the most impact on consumers: 62 per cent of respondents said that UGC was the most impactful content they saw on a brand’s website, versus 38 per cent for brand-created assets.
- Online video plays a role in 75 per cent of consumers’ online decision-making process, with a quarter of respondents proactively seeking out User-generated video content as part of their research.
- 75 per cent of Gen Zs have watched at least one Live Video Shopping stream in the past 12 months.
“This research shows us that, for brands looking to grow the share of revenue generated through eCommerce, authentic content is an indispensable ingredient to successful online sales growth,” advises Alex Vaidya, CEO of StoryStream. “User-generated Content offers key social proof at crucial points of a consumer’s decision-making process – and is something online buyers proactively seek out to inform their purchase decisions. We are encouraged to see that Live Video Shopping is already attracting consumer attention, and helping brands to translate that attention into action. Though early days for the technology, it is apparent that setting and executing a strategy for video commerce represents a huge opportunity for brands.”
“As these results show, seeing ‘authenticity’ from brands in their marketing is of paramount importance though how to interpret what authenticity means for your business is well worth some thought before you set out to achieve it,” adds Andy Mulcahy, Strategy & Insight Director IMRG. “We note that video remains a popular content format among the buying public – and opportunities for building interactions between businesses and customers are definitely there. The trick is understanding how to interpret the opportunity for your business so that it becomes something that customers really find useful.”