Retail UGC

Brands have long been incorporating user-generated content in their marketing strategy. However, as competition in ecommerce intensifies, its brands that provide the best shopping experience, that are reaping the rewards of highest engagement and sales.

In this article, we take a closer look at shoppable UGC galleries. What they are, how they work, and how you can add them to your marketing strategy to foster product discovery and increase conversions.

How to create shoppable UGC galleries

What is Shoppable UGC?

Shoppable user-generated content (UGC) is essentially any form of user-generated content that provides a direct and seamless path for consumers to purchase products featured in that content. It is widely regarded as form of visual commerce.

Shoppable UGC Image example

By tagging (or annotating) products featured in a user-generated image for example, brands can provide customers with key product information and a direct path to purchase – engaging customers when they most inspired.

Why is Shoppable UGC so effective?

User-generated content (UGC) is deemed more authentic, relatable, and engaging than brand-created content. 75% of consumers find UGC more authentic and 53% of millennials say that UGC has influenced their purchasing decisions.

Not only are humans more efficient at processing and retaining visual information, but 91% of buyers prefer it over traditional formats.

By tagging products in user-generated content to create compelling galleries, brands can create highly engaging shopping experiences that serve as a constant feed of inspiration.

Shoppers see a flow of authentic visual content featuring real customers and their experiences with a brand’s products. They take inspiration from the diverse styles and context expressed by like-minded people. Helping them to alleviate concerns and envision how they themselves would incorporate the products into their own lives.

By taking shoppers directly to relevant product pages when they are most inspired, brands not only increase purchasing confidence via social proof, but also shorten the path to purchase, bringing the point of inspiration closer to the point of sale.

This reduction in the number of steps to go from content to purchase lowers the chances of potential buyers falling off along the way.

Acquiring user-generated content (UGC)

Acquiring UGC from across social

Use a UGC marketing platform to automate the collection of relevant content your audiences, fans and customers are already creating and sharing across social platforms. This could range from content based on hashtags, mentions, geo-location etc., to content from specific users or brand accounts. Automating this process saves time and lets you focus on engaging audiences and promoting your campaigns.

Linking product catalogs to UGC marketing platforms

You’ll also need information about your products to link to your relevant product pages from the visual UGC you’ve acquired. Your product catalogue will contain this information. In Buzzspark for instance, you can import product catalogues directly from your ecommerce stores. This makes it easy to tag your products in images and maintain an organised UGC asset library – so you can quickly repurpose relevant content when and where it’s needed to realise its full potential.

Curating your shoppable galleries

With UGC acquired and product catalogues sorted, it’s time to curate your galleries. Start by identifying where on your website you want to include UGC galleries. This can range from a single gallery on an inspiration or campaign webpage, to galleries across individual product pages, or a combination of both. Then, simply tag your content based on your products and where you wish to feature it.

Stay closely connected and relatable to your customers. Select the most captivating UGC to produce galleries that match your brand, reflecting the diverse styles of your customers and highlight aspects most important to them. Keep your galleries focused based on where they’re placed on your website. Customers are more likely to engage with visuals highlighting products most relevant to them, for example when browsing lookbook and collection pages vs product pages.

Adding shoppable hotspots on images

Adding shoppable hotspots on UGC images

Adding shoppable hotspots on UGC images is as simple as clicking on images where your products appear and selecting the relevant product from your catalogue in Buzzspark. Position your hotpots so they are clearly visible to viewers, without obscuring or lessening the impact of the image – particularly on images with multiple products.

Publishing your shoppable UGC galleries

With your shoppable hotspots added, you’re ready to create feeds for each gallery and style them to match your brand.

This is where your UGC platform needs to be most flexible. You’ll want to be able to segment content from your UGC asset library and show it on galleries where it’s most relevant – and vice versa. In Buzzspark for instance, you can create endless feeds of curated UGC from your entire asset library. This could range from feeds based on your products, the source or type of asset, or your tagging workflow etc.

Styling your galleries is another important factor when considering a UGC platform. Adding your logo and changing a theme colour often falls short of creating a tailored experience that reflects your brand. Visual editors that require zero-coding will save marketers time and avoid relying on in-house or external developers.

When presenting your galleries, consider layouts and styles that complement your brand and website design, and improve rather than impact the overall user experience (UX). For example, galleries with large compelling visuals work best on landing and inspiration pages, whereas smaller thumbnail or sliding galleries are a better fit for product pages.

Publishing a single curated gallery on a landing page can be an effective entry point for brands just getting started with shoppable UGC. You can easily extend this to additional or more specific galleries, as well as wider use of UGC across marketing touchpoints as your asset library grows. With a bit of planning and everything setup correctly, the heavy lifting can be automated, freeing up your time to curate content going forward.

Encourage engagement to acquire more UGC

Acquiring UGC and zero party data direct from audiences

Why stop at publishing shoppable UGC on your website? Wherever you show your gallery, is also a perfect place to engage users and invite them to share their own experiences.

With customisable forms in Buzzspark, you can do just that, and capture additional data. Users can upload photos and videos directly from their devices or even from their albums on social platforms - increasing your UGC acquisition.

You can create truly exciting experiences to engage audiences wherever they encounter your brand. Be it instore, at events, on your website, via email, or offline ads using QR codes.

Why Shoppable UGC is relevant to the future of eCommerce.

Brands are seeking to create purchasing opportunities wherever they can to maintain their competitive edge. This means delivering compelling and personalised visual content that consumers are more likely to engage with – wherever they encounter the brand.

Shoppable UGC is a form of visual commerce that is helping brands create unique and exciting experiences for consumers to learn about their products and connect with their brand. With retail expanding into the metaverse, these experiences are evolving, and more importantly, consumers are already there.