User Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) – this refers to content that is created by an end user and made publically available.

 

In the context of this report we looked for UGC that took the form of:

• User forums
• User reviews
• User ratings
• User polls/voting

Whilst these forms of UGC are not social networks in their own right, they provide ideal viral content for sharing through social media

Key stats

• More than half of UK online customers say reviews are ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’ in making an online purchase, and more than half say they have more trust and respect for brands that show product reviews.

Definitions

• Viral – a process whereby content is passed ‘virally’ between users rather than being pushed out by the content publisher.

Our findings

Building user trust and confidence is key to the success of an ecommerce site and should be a key part of your ecommerce solutions strategy. Peer recomendation and UGC are highly effective tools for this, adding credibility to existing content and helping to nurture confidence in the online brand.

Only 1% of the retailers we studied included any form of user generated content on their website. This 1% included user reviews, albeit sparingly, but ignored other types of UGC such as polls or videos.

Remember, ‘social researchers’ make up a growing and increasingly significant proportion of online shoppers. They will seek out and find the product reviews and UGC they need, before they make their purchase decision. Make sure your site gives them what they need.

Star example: Amazon

(http://www.amazon.com)

It wouldn’t be right to talk about UGC in retailing without mentioning Amazon!

The US-based company helped to pioneer the concept of user reviews which are now a key part of their product pages. User reviews quickly and easily generate more content for the site, all contributed by customers.

By allowing visitors to vote on the comments that have been left, Amazon is effectively able to filter out anything that is not useful or relevant, again by remaining passive and giving control to users.




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