How to Use UGC Videos for your eCommerce store

Using user-generated video content can be one of your eCommerce strategy's most engaging and valuable parts. 

But you probably already know that. 

The focus on more “human” video campaigns instead of polished, branded video offerings can save content teams from being stuck on a hamster wheel of video content creation and distribution.  

Let's find out how to use UGC in your video marketing campaigns.

How to use UGC videos for your eCommerce store

If you are among the smart marketers and/or founders that want to leverage the power of shoppable UGC to their advantage, let’s take a closer look at what will work best for your eCommerce store:

1. 1. On-site shoppable user-generated videos

2. 2. Off-site shoppable user-generated videos

On-site shoppable user-generated videos

Seven in ten (70%) consumers worldwide say that access to video in an online purchase helps them better understand the product or experience they are purchasing.

With user-generated video content on the website, it builds the confidence needed to progress online shoppers to take action. 

Here are a few ways you can leverage onsite shoppable UGC to convert passive browsing on your website to shopping behavior: 

1. 1. Homepage and product pages

2. 2. Dedicated UGC page

Let’s dive right in!

1. 1. Homepage and product pages 

The home page and product pages of any eCommerce store is the perfect place to remove friction between inspiration and conversion. 

According to Stackla, UGC was 8.7x more impactful than influencer content and 6.6x more influential than branded content in consumers’ eyes – hence can be the best bet for your landing and product pages. 

To leverage this insight, eCommerce stores can utilize user-generated video content for the release of new products, collections, how-to tutorials, etc. 

They can be the best showstoppers on your hero and product pages!

Now, sure, including user-generated content on your website can engage visitors, but to drive more conversions, you need to act proactively and turn video content into Shoppable UGC. 

Tabs like ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Shop The Look’ can instantly urge them to complete the purchase. 

Shoppable videos overcome the video-watching experience on the home and product pages and mimic in-store shopping. For example, product shoppable videos were introduced by Busy Baby Mat to help parents better understand the value these products would bring to their lives.

They were able to browse, select, and check out products — all at one go, with an 11.4% conversion rate. Now didn’t we make that really easy? 

2. Dedicated UGC page

You can also create a separate page for your UGC content, which makes it easy to access for all your shoppers.

This page could include:

• Reviews and testimonials from your past customers

• How-to tutorials & best tips to use a particular product or service. 

The added functionality of shoppability will help to incentivize customers further to make a purchase instinctually, without letting them drop off in the middle. 

Let’s take Ava Estell’s “Real Reviews from Real Customers” section on their website. 

They used video testimonials of their customers using the Videowise video player; and linked it to their product pages. Building an emotional connection and nudging them to purchase generated £743K at up to a 21% conversion rate. 

Off-site shoppable user-generated videos

As an eCommerce founder or marketer, you can create immersive shoppable video campaigns that can be shared anywhere, even outside their eCommerce store. 

Here are a few ways to leverage interactive shoppable videos for offsite marketing campaigns: 

1. 1. Links

2. 2. Email marketing campaigns

3. 3. Direct messages

4. 4. Embed

5. 5. QR Code

Now let’s explore each method to facilitate conversions from your offsite marketing campaigns!

1. 1. Links

With shoppable UGC video links that can be shared online, you can reach a broader potential customer base. 

In this shopping experience, customers will be able to directly browse through products, and collections and also purchase via a single checkout button. 

If you can’t already see the dollar-sign-eyes-green-tongue emoji in front of your eyes, then Videowise will make sure that you do in less than a year, just like we did for RIFRUF. The dog sneaker brand was able to generate additional revenue of $50K in less than 6 months!

1. 2. Email marketing campaigns 

As an eCommerce store, your contemporary communication methods shouldn’t distract you from one of the oldest, yet most effective marketing strategies — email marketing. In fact, email ROI is an impressive $36 for every $1 spent. 

Writing short, descriptive subject lines and displaying user-generated content can be a sure-shot way of gaining traction, especially for audience segments in the conversion and retargeting funnels. 

Consumers prefer to go through the entire mail since they opted in for that service, and with UGC, you shall be utilizing the voice of your existing customers to gain their attention — bringing an authentic touch to your marketing strategy. 

More so, they may have the impulse to purchase these funnels. By making shoppable UGC video content easy to see, and clear CTA buttons, you can be sure to see sales rolling in. 

1. 3. Direct messages  

A personal channel with one of the highest open rates of any medium, shoppable user-generated video content through SMS, can be supremely powerful. 

“I can't stress the importance of SMS marketing enough because of how astounding the numbers are in comparison to email. A great email list will get an average 20% open rate and a 2% CTR. We're seeing closer to 90% open rates on SMS and 20% CTR. Those clicks aren't just visits, either. We're seeing great conversion rates and, on a per-message basis, SMS is outperforming email for us.” said John Lim, CEO of AZN FLUSH.

Shoppable UGC via SMS cuts through all the noise, offering a seamless shopping experience straight from their mobile devices, while making sure that they trust you enough to make that purchase. 

1. 4. Embed

Apart from your own Shopify store, Videowise lets you embed shoppable UGC videos on 3rd party websites to increase your reach and viewership. 

Now, we already know that user-generated content can encourage shoppers to make the purchase. 

So the idea with embed links is simple: stop sending viewers from 3rd party websites to your landing page or scroll through a long list of product pages. 

Instead, cut out the donkey work of finding the stuff they just saw in your video; and allow them to purchase directly — without even switching tabs, even from 3rd party websites.

1. 5. QR code

Another great way to upsell products to existing customers is through interactive packaging. 

When your consumer excitedly unboxes their product, you could surprise them with fun and interactive packaging with a CTA to scan the QR code.  

With shoppable video playlists on the QR codes, you could offer additional value, discounts, or promotional offers – to reward them for shopping with you. This will encourage your shoppers to connect to the business and make additional purchases.

Here is an example of a QR code to one of Ava Estell's shoppable videos.

Shoppable videos can increase purchase intent by nine times. It creates a seamless buying experience for the visitors to get inspired, informed, and ready to purchase easily. So be ready to convert your passive visitors into paying customers, that too easily!

Top tips about shoppable UGC

The key to unlocking significant ROI with shoppable user-generated content stands in the quality of videos rather than the quantity. 

According to Mihaela Tudorache, Product Manager, Videowise, the best tip for all eCommerce founders is not to fall asleep with just one type of video.

Instead, one must constantly test, review metrics, and see how customers are actually using the products to integrate them well into the brand's video strategy. 

To see the ROI, eCommerce marketers should focus on implementing shoppable videos relying on a combination of aspects:

1. Target audience

Audiences differ in what they respond to. Some brands/retailers do well with UGC content that highlights product variants. Some do really well with how-to videos showing product use, while others do with unboxings & customer reviews. Understand your audience better, to convert them faster. 

2. Video placement

The location of videos in the onsite marketing campaigns can be crucial so that it's integrated well within the branding of the page and doesn't stick out. Make sure to put in the upper sections of the website/email, so that the consumer doesn’t have to scroll down a lot!

3. Relevance

Understanding whether the UGC is relevant to the page/product can be instrumental in conversions and overall growth in trust and revenue.

4. Quality

Video quality is a must in general, and it also applies to UGC content. Using only good quality videos mentioning positive features and characteristics can help.

5. Page traffic

Thoroughly integrated video components are necessary to see results. If the page traffic is low, then as an eCommerce store, you may not see results, despite doing everything correctly.

Final thoughts

User-generated content allows shoppers to participate in a brand’s growth instead of being a spectator. This influences brand loyalty and affinity in a big way because people thrive off being part of something greater than themselves.

From unboxing to lifestyle, customers’ videos can be your most valuable marketing multiplier. 

By displaying UGC in a shoppable format, your on-site and off-site marketing campaigns stand to benefit holistically by improving customer experience and encouraging purchases.

Talk to our team to learn more, say bye-bye to friction, and welcome a world of one-click checkout with Videowise!