Shoppers find user-generated content helpful, study shows
Bazaarvoice, a Texas-based marketing company, has released a new study on what kind of shopping technology customers are looking for in-store. The information could give retailers information on how to properly use technology to leverage their private brands.
Key survey findings show that half of US consumers are excited about the potential of user-generated content (UGC) to enhance their shopping experience. Bazaarvoice said that as brick-and-mortar is a fundamental pillar for the industry, brands and retailers will need to continue investing and integrating new technologies to provide consumers with the best in-store shopping experience. The survey interviewed over 8,000 consumers from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Australia, and Canada, and over 500 employees who work in retail from the same countries.
“The Bazaarvoice State of Retail study conducted across six countries further reveals the importance of text and visual UGC to inform consumers and to enable retailers to facilitate discovery and conversion,” Keith Nealon, CEO of Bazaarvoice, told Store Brands. "The insights are telling. Over three quarter (79%) of decision makers working in retail we surveyed said that customer reviews and visual UGC are currently important in generating sales. Of the consumers we surveyed, 60% of them want to see brands and retailers displaying reviews and photo and video content from other customers on their website and their social channels.”
In the survey, 50% of shoppers said they wanted to see UGC displayed on brand and retail sites and their social channels. When asked why, respondents said it helped them decide what to buy, it gave them more confidence in purchasing from the brand, and helped them visualize the product and how it can be used.
56% of the respondents said that UGC would be a deciding factor for purchasing decisions in the future. 56% said that written reviews from customers were most influential, 38% said photo or video content from customers, and 30% said written reviews from social media influencers.
One in three shoppers said they expected brands and retailers to make a greater effort prioritizing the customer experience. 47% said they are excited about the potential technology has to enhance their shopping experience. According to the survey, retailers are noticing, with 61% of retailers having experiential retail as part of their three-year plan.
The full report from Bazaarvoice can be found here.