New research confirms the importance of user-generated content

A new research study has revealed that user-generated content is of increasing importance to the modern shopper – a notable (and useful) finding if you’re in the process of having a new ecommerce website design created for you, or are considering going into business as a website designer with our profitable web design business opportunity.

The research, conducted by bazaarvoice found that today’s shoppers are relying more and more on user-generated content. The importance of reviews, images and ratings has grown throughout the last year, with 77% of shoppers saying that they consider those things to be important to them. Crucially, this fact is vital to brands and retailers too, especially if you have an ecommerce website, as brands that provide user-generated content on their site report a 137% uplift in conversions and 157% greater revenue per visitor than sites who do not.In some industries, the conversion lift was even higher. If your ecommerce website sells electrical items for example, having ratings, reviews, question and answers and other user-generated content was found to deliver a 189% conversion lift and 174% more revenue per customer. In the hardware and home improvement field, there is a 206% conversion lift. In apparel and accessories, a 175% conversion lift can be expected along with a 214% increase in revenue per customer.As you build out your online store, it also pays to enable product reviews with the Shopper Experience Index demonstrating a huge 354% increase in conversions and 446% increase in revenue per customer simply by having one review visible.Product pages that displayed questions and answers were also found to generate more sales.User-generated content doesn’t just have to live on your own website to be effective of course – the Index also shows that photos from other customers shared on social media can be a powerful purchase driver. 1 in 3 shoppers say that seeing images from other customers on social media is an important part of their decision to purchase. You can bring this boost back to your website too by having social media plug ins on product pages to display user-generated and submitted images to visitors.Over 9 in 10 brands and retailers agree that visual user-generated content helps to deliver a more engaging customer experience, while 86% say it makes their products more discoverable. Over half think that it’s a standard part of the online shopping experience.Other key takeaways from the report include the importance of offering personalised recommendations and a personalised experience to the shopper. A good mobile experience can help your brand to stand out too and shoppers want to interact with brands more – so technology like chatbots is well worth exploring.