From viral TikTok challenges to glowing product reviews, user-generated content shapes how we consume, interact with, and trust brands.
However, the true power of UGC goes far beyond a few trending hashtags.
Get ready to explore the surprising UGC statistics that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about user-generated content.
Top UGC Statistics
Brands using UGC see 29% more web conversions than campaigns without UGC.
79% of people say UGC influences their buying decisions.
Over 66% of people decide to buy clothes based on reviews and comments from other users.
Millennials (young adults) find user-made content 20% more helpful for buying things than other types of ads.
More than 70% of people read or watch reviews before buying something.
About 82% of people think about buying something new after seeing a friend or connection post about it.
Almost 92% of people trust reviews and user posts more than advertisements when shopping.
Instagram posts with user content get 70% more likes and comments than those with only brand content.
Only 16% of companies have plans to use user-made content in their marketing.
User-made content gets 28% more responses from people than professional ads.
The Power of UGC
User-generated content is becoming one of the best marketing strategies in the world.
It is one of the most authentic marketing content forms to promote and boost your products’ online sales.
It receives more views and reaches a bigger audience. There must be a good reason if the entire industry uses user-generated content.
More and more user-generated content is being used for social media ads.
No company would invest in an idea if it did not show promise, and the user-generated content statistics support this.
Check Out: How to Use UGC Ads to Grow Your Brand
What Drives UGC’s Impact: Psychological Factors at Play
Customers prefer user-generated content as it is a significant factor in establishing trust.
While shopping online, a person is more likely to believe another customer’s reviews and positive comments than paid advertisements.
These subtle psychological influences help draw customers to your brand.
If customers trust your brand, the likelihood of purchasing your product will increase infinitely, resulting in an improved brand reputation.
It also works on multiple channels.
Pairing them up with paid ads could lead to a UGC popping up on a prospective customer’s feed if a customer sees a UGC review while researching a product by someone in their social circle, who encourages them to try it.
User-generated content allows for a dialogue between the brand and the customer, increasing customer loyalty.
Why Traditional Marketing Is Losing to UGC
Traditional marketing cannot keep up with or match user-generated content for a few simple reasons:
UGCs are inexpensive compared to traditional marketing, which can result in significant savings for the company.
Millennials find UGC more authentic than self-promotion by even their favorite brands. The trust factor in official brand-authored content is much lower compared to UGC.
UGC psychologically influences the customer to buy a product. When an existing customer is happy, they are more likely to buy the product.
These are key reasons why traditional marketing campaigns, such as email marketing, cannot compete with user-generated content today.
It is simply a better, more trustworthy form of marketing and shows better results. The user-generated content statistics back this fact up.
Industry-Specific UGC Stats & Facts
You can use user-generated content across multiple industries and for various products.
Each category has shown different content statistics, which indicate a wide range of customer responses. Take a look at this ugc. Stats from different industries:
UGC impacts on purchase decisions
1. Millennials find user-generated content (UGC) to be 20% more effective for making purchasing decisions compared to other types of media.
User content creation has shown that millennial internet users prefer it over any other form of media, mainly email marketing, while making purchasing decisions.
This can be due to multiple reasons, such as trust, authenticity, content strategy, a familiar source, or word of mouth.
2. About 82% of people say they have thought about buying a new product after seeing user-generated content (UGC) from someone they know.
This stat is hardly surprising since everybody trusts a product review by someone they know. Customer content adds a layer of authenticity and reassurance and is vital in promoting the product.
3. Customer reviews on the website can increase conversion rates by 41%
User-Generated Content Statistics for Beauty
4. Over 65% of Indian consumers aged 25 to 44 mainly consume user-generated content about beauty, health, and wellness.
5. Nearly 92% of people trust user reviews and content more than advertisements when buying products.
In the beauty and wellness industry, customer reviews are paramount. They help other potential customers decide whether to purchase the product.
Thus, it is understandable that user-generated product videos would have such a significant impact.
6. Surveys show that 86% of customers prefer the authenticity of UGC while choosing products to buy.
7. A recent survey showed that while buying cosmetics, 61% of the customers preferred UGCs over traditional media.
User-Generated Content Statistics for Travel
8. The estimated value of the Travel and Tourism UGC market by FMI was $184 million dollars. The net value of this market is project to reach almost $750 million dollars by 2032
9. User-generated content (UGC) engages customers 28% better than professionally made advertisements.
10. This has a lot to do with the fact that almost 70% of customers report that they had their trust broken by a travel agency.
Thus, since UGC provokes a better sense of trust, the conversion rates for UGC are better.
Build trust & FOMO
Highlight real-time activities like reviews, sales & sign-ups.
User-Generated Content Statistics for Fashion & Apparel
11. 66% customers make the final decision based on the amount of reviews available.
Product reviews are one of the most common forms of UGC used. Past customer reviews help a lot when buying clothing and other accessories. It helps determine the quality, durability, looks, etc of the product.
12. When buying footwear a massive 85% of people check the reviews regularly.
13. Almost 70% of customers read and form opinions about a product based on reviews left by other customers.
Customers sharing their authentic marketing content about a product helps other customers make decisions.
This is the key reason user-generated content (UGC) is so popular in the fashion and clothing industry. The UGC statistics also support these claims.
User-Generated Content Statistics for Food & Beverage
14. Post Covid, 47% of customers prefer to read reviews online before buying a new food item
15. UGC included with monthly emails has shown an increase of 47% in the reviews
16. 74% of customers prefer to see UGC on the official web pages of the brand.
User-Generated Content Statistics for Home Decor & DIY
17. According to BaazarVoice, 63% of DIY customers find UGC to be the most trusted form of media.
18. More than 50% of customers learn about a new product from their friends and family
19. When DIY shoppers interact with UGC, you can see a 167% conversion lift and 250% RPV(Revenue Per Visitor) boost
User-Generated Content Statistics for Finance & Investing (B2B)
20. UGC increases conversions for financial services by 300%
21. More than 70% of B2B buyers consume video content created by users in the process of the sale
User-Generated Content Statistics for Fitness & Wellness
22. When looking for fitness and wellness equipment, user generated statistics show that 85% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
23. Over 70% Americans look for health information and advice over the internet, thus making user generated media very important.
24. While choosing doctors, 61% of the people trust online reviews.
User-Generated Content Statistics for Education
25. More than 91% of education marketers believe that ugc helps reach potential students better.
26. In Newcastle University, it was observed that after posting ugc content, students were 3x more likely to join the Unibuddy app.
Platform-Specific UGC Stats & Trends
Differences arise when you compare user-generated content stats across social media platforms.
These differences can be due to various factors, such as the number of users, age demographics, or even locations.
Thus, it is essential to take a look at some ugc trends and statistics across various platforms:
UGC Statistics for Instagram
27. Social media posts which feature an UGC have reported 70% more engagement on Instagram than just normal paid brand ads.
People are tired of the same traditional ads for products claiming to be the best and life-changing.
User-generated content posts are better for engagement because they tell the true story about customer experience, which is far more valuable for the customer.
28. A shocking 91% of active users on Instagram watch daily reels. This increases the customer engagement for UGC.
29. Nearly 80% of DMOs prefer to focus on UGC content on Instagram
UGC Statistics for TikTok
30. On TikTok, the user generated content is 22% more effective than brand created content
31. UGC on TikTok surpasses branded content Facebook ads by 32%
32. Compared to normal advertising user generated content on TikTok more effective by a factor of 46%
UGC Statistics for YouTube
32. On Youtube, user generated content videos and shorts get almost 10 times the views than branded content.
33. Many ecommerce marketers believe Youtube generates around 17% of the most engaging user generated content content.
34. Around 18% of the digital marketing social media channels prioritize Youtube shorts for user generated content.
UGC Statistics for Pinterest
35. Pintrest is the 15th most popular social media app for promotions making it one of the best platforms for leveraging ugc.
36. One third of pintrest shoppers are reported to have an income of over $100K making ugc based ads a great way to leverage user generated content.
37. Pintrest has 498 million active monthly users which are real customers making it a target for world’s biggest brands to deploy thier UGC strategy
Debunking UGC Myths
There are some myths surrounding user-generated content that have no basis.
For example, a popular myth is “Organic user-generated content is always the Best”.
Then there is another popular myth: “I don’t have the Budget for user-generated content.”
Take a look at the user-generated content statistics myth:
1. “I Don’t Have the Budget for User-Generated Content”
The idea that you need a big budget for User-Generated Content systems (UGC) is a myth.
User-generated content includes reviews, photos, and videos that your customers make, which can be gathered and shared for free.
Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook let users post content about your brand at no cost.
Encouraging your customers to share their experiences and tagging your brand can generate valuable content without spending a lot.
Additionally, running simple contests or offering small incentives can motivate customers to create.
UGC is a cost-effective way to build trust and engage with your audience.
2. “Organic UGC is Always the Best”
Fiction: Organic User-Generated Content (UGC) is always the best because it comes directly from users, authentic content, without any influence, making it more genuine and trustworthy.
Fact: While organic UGC can be authentic content, it is not always the best. Organic content may lack quality, relevance, or accuracy.
Sometimes, it can even spread misinformation. Moderated or incentivized UGC can ensure higher quality, relevance, and alignment with brand values.
Effective UGC strategies often blend organic content with curated or guided contributions of influencer content to maintain quality and reliability.
Therefore, a balanced approach that includes brand messages is more effective for achieving desired outcomes than relying solely on organic UGC.
UGC Success Stories: What Makes Campaigns Resonate
There have been quite a few official brand UGC campaign success stories. Many companies got a lot of recognition and customers from their UGC campaigns and brand channels.
Take a look at some of these success stories:
1. Cult Beauty
Cult Beauty knows people are more likely to buy their products if they see how to use them.
Watching someone else use a product can make people interested in trying it themselves.
This is why Cult Beauty often shares videos made by makeup and skincare fans on social media.
These videos are full of valuable tips and demonstrations. They show different ways to use Cult Beauty products to create fabulous looks.
This content makes people curious and excited, often leading to a better brand image and purchases.
For instance, in one video, someone asked about the brush a customer was using. It’s a great way to connect with customers on social media and help them learn more about the products available.
2. Dunkin’ Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts is popular on social media, with more than 3 million followers on TikTok.
They are great at using social media, making fun and quirky content that sometimes makes you think.
They’re very good at connecting with young people who love their donuts and coffee through their social campaigns.
Dunkin’ is also excellent at using videos made by its fans.
One popular video was from a TikTok user, @janellehettick, who was relaxing in a Dunkin’ Donuts hoodie and drinking soup from a big bowl.
Dunkin’ shared her video with the caption, “You gotta do whatcha gotta do.” It went viral, getting lots of likes and comments.
This shows how Dunkin’ connects with its fans through simple, user-made videos.
Key Takeaways From Viral UGC Social Media Campaigns
A couple of things stand out from all these viral UGC campaigns.
These are some of the key points that made these campaigns a success:
1. Being authentic on UGC is key to building trust in your brand. Telling the truth and focusing on the user experience can help new customers make informed decisions.
2. Be Credible: You must ensure you can back what you claim. Every promise made in a UGC should be fulfilled. You lose credibility if you cannot fulfill something an existing customer claims is valid in a UGC.
3. Be Engaging: Make sure your UGC is engaging and fun for the customer to watch. Attention spans are reducing daily, and people do not give a second look to something that does not intrigue them.
Wrap up
UGC is a great way to promote your product and company. It is cheaper than traditional advertising methods and has a far better reach and customer engagement.
It has proven to be a remarkable way for brands to connect with their target audience. Thus, UGC is essential for multi-national and local businesses across industries.
Sources
Sprout Social | PowerReviews | Crowdriff | BazarVoice | Global Wellness Institute
