“Change is the only constant in eCommerce.”
This phenomenon now gets multiplied as every brick and mortar shop is ever bringing its business online. Indeed, the future looks competitive with customers getting spoiled for choices and marketing and advertising costs only soaring high. So, what’s the next best marketing strategy for eCommerce brands?
Shoppable UGC. User-generated content is generated by users, which is looked up to as the most credible form of content primarily because it is based on real experiences of the users and states proof for other users to try the brand out.
In fact, with shoppable user-generated content, eCommerce brands can also enjoy greater reach and brand awareness, which are added advantages of this leading strategy.
Users create content in various formats – photos, videos, reviews, blogs, etc., a part of which can be made shoppable and utilized further in the eCommerce funnel. Intrigued to know more? Keep reading.
What Is Shoppable User-Generated Content?
E-commerce brands that strive to provide the best and easiest path to purchase will inevitably be the ones that get the most engagement and conversions. This is why brands are looking to create purchasing opportunities wherever possible, including making content shoppable.
Shoppable UGC can eliminate steps in the traditional buyer’s journey, reducing the chances of potential buyers bouncing off their path to purchase. Furthermore, adding product tags to the posts generated by the users can successfully instill inspiration in the buyers’ minds, make them feel the need to purchase, and provide a seamless path to purchase.
Further, this content comes directly from the experience of the users, which means it has great potential to gather potential shoppers’ trust, and attention.
Putting it all together, any content created by users on any social or digital platform turned shoppable by adding product tags to it – is shoppable UGC.
Why Is Shoppable UGC The Future Of eCommerce and Online Brands?
According to stats, 91% of buyers prefer visual and interactive content over traditional formats. The changes in consumer behavior are compelling brands to create and deliver authentic buying experiences which drive greater sales.
In this respect, leveraging shoppable UGC can make for an excellent deal for brands. Find out more below:
Deliver an Engaging Buying Journey
Modern-day consumers care about hearing diverse consumer voices. The ones that they can relate to and engage with. Incorporating authentic, appealing, and trustworthy content in the path to purchase can create and deliver better buying experiences that engage and convert.
Moreover, as buyers’ attention spans and patience are limited, providing an informative and engaging path to purchase becomes imperative. Along with providing product information, shoppable UGC also shows users’ experience with it, which further helps them to make informed purchasing decisions.
Easy Way to Win Trust
Having shoppers trust the brand is indeed a difficult task. But, especially when they aren’t aware of it, brands can showcase users’ real experiences and build the business’s credibility by including users’ content in shoppable galleries.
Whether you are a consumer goods, electronics, or fashion brand, featuring real use cases of products in your product listing will impact users’ trust.
Moreover, showcasing social proof can create a bandwagon effect and motivate shoppers to learn more about your brand, leading them to buy eventually.
Ease Purchase Anxiety
Incorporating lifelike visuals of users’ in the eCommerce experience can ease shoppers’ purchase and product-related hesitation.
Many shoppers seek to know if the product of their interest will be delivered, as shown in the images, which, when uncatered, increases bounce rate and cart abandonment.
Shoppable UGC galleries featuring dependable, aesthetic, and varied visuals of shoppers can help potential users make informed buying decisions.
Add Diversity to Your Content
User-generated content being diverse can seamlessly add variations to your shoppable content. Additionally, in place of using the edited reality of the content, you can showcase what products actually look like in real life.
Further, when a variety of content is added to the website, its visual appeal enhances significantly. This contributes to users’ experience on the eCommerce store, which leads to greater conversions.
In fact, the possibility of visitors spreading the word about your brand also increases because people connect better to this content and are likely to spend more time on your website understanding what existing users’ experiences have been with your brand.
Boost Conversions
When brands provide their shoppers with an engaging and convenient shopping experience, the chances of conversion shoot up.
Additionally, as the discoverability of buyable UGC products increases, potential buyers are made aware of your products, and brands can easily take advantage of lead generation.
Contemporary day shoppers connect better with content that resonates with them and consider product recommendations given by people like them, which is the primary purpose that user-generated content serves. Hence, perhaps, a great reason why eCommerce brands must consider it.
Turn Customers into Loyalists
By creating and delivering authentic, consumer-centric shopping experiences to the shoppers, brands can acquire customers and turn them into loyalists.
And customer loyalty is the most sought-after thing for brands. These loyalists not only continue to buy from their favorite brand but also positively spread the word and persuade others to try the brand’s products.
Additionally, brand loyalty also creates chances of cross-selling and upselling as existing users are more likely to try other products.
Build Brand Affinity
Brands that leverage customer data and their created content into marketing have higher chances of being loved.
Shoppers’ expectations have changed drastically in the last decade. They care about the brands they buy from and expect inclusivity. As a result, ads are no longer seen in trust. Instead, consumers seek to come across engaging content at every step of their buying journey. This has changed how brands market themselves, and building affinity has become essential for marketing.
It isn’t anymore about the brands but the customers. By including shoppable UGC, brands can make their customers feel valued about their contributions, change their perception and probably sell more.
Cost-Effective Way of Enhancing Sales
Including user-generated content in the shopper’s journey can indefinitely boost sales, among other things, while still being cost-effective.
Users voluntarily create user-generated content and, on possessing creator’s rights, can be used in marketing without incurring high costs. Unlike brand-generated content, which requires models, and an entire production team and demands significant costs, user-generated visuals are easy to use and yield greater results.
Let’s Call It A Wrap!
The way shoppers shop and sellers sell has undergone major shifts. To capitalize on the rapid change in shoppers’ behavior, counting on the opportunities that shoppable UGC provides brands is becoming increasingly important.
More so, because the sky’s the limit when it comes to the charisma that authentic content can create in shoppers’ minds, it is the best bet for eCommerce brands suffering from bounce rates, cart abandonment, and shopper trust issues.
Many eCommerce brands across niches are already taking advantage of the grave advantage they have been presented with.
If this blog helped you fathom the future of eCommerce and online brands, about time to act upon it.
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