UGC: User-Generated Content to Boost E-commerce Sales

Have you ever received a customer review with a photo? Or seen a customer tag your store on Instagram? Perhaps a question posted under a product?

If the answer is yes, your e-commerce site is already collecting user-generated content (UGC), perhaps without even realising it. And that's not a small detail: In the world of online shopping, trust is the most valuable currency. And one of the best ways to earn it is to let your customers speak for you.

Reviews, photos, videos, and social media posts created spontaneously by those who have already chosen your brand aren't glossy advertising, but authentic content capable of improving the performance of your e-commerce site.

In this guide, we'll discover why UGC works, how to use it strategically, and what tools you can activate to transform it into sales, conversions, and visibility for your online shop.

What is UGC?

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by your customers, not by your marketing department. It comes from the real experiences of those who have purchased and used your products… and that's what makes it credible.

Common formats include:

• Written reviews with or without images
• Photos or videos posted on social media or uploaded to your website
• Comments and Q&As on product pages
• Spontaneous testimonials
• Content from campaigns with branded hashtags

In a world where people seek authenticity, UGC provides immediate and concrete social proof that can decisively influence purchase decisions.

Source: Wilton Wholefoods

Why UGC is important for your business

User-generated content isn't just a 'nice to have'. When UGC is strategically integrated into your website or communication channels, it has a real impact on trust, sales, visibility, and efficiency. Here are the main reasons why UGC makes a difference:

1. Builds trust

UGC is real content and therefore builds trust for your brand.

Here are a few stats from a 2024 Trusted Shops survey on trust in e-commerce:

• 66% of consumers prioritise positive online reviews over price
• 79% of European shoppers read reviews every time or most of the time before making a purchase.
• 90% of Europeans agree that genuine reviews increase trust in a company.

Along with displaying authentic customer reviews, showing real photos or getting tagged in candid videos on social media conveys authenticity and reassures potential buyers more than any traditional advertising can.

2. Increase conversions

Well-placed UGC can have a direct impact on sales. According to Shopify, users who engage with other customers' content generate a 162% increase in revenue per visit.

Reviews with photos perform particularly well. They can generate up to three times more clicks than text-only reviews.

Many e-commerce sites automatically collect reviews thanks to tools like the Trusted Shops Trustbadge®.

3. Improve SEO

Reviews enrich product pages with unique, fresh, and relevant content, increasing keyword density and improving Google rankings. Reviews also lead to more user engagement on your page, which is also a good sign for search engines.

4. Increase brand visibility

UGC posted on social media puts your brand in front of new potential customers. This is organic visibility without the cost of advertising.

According to data in the same Shopify study as mentioned earlier, consumers who engage with user-generated content convert 144% more often.

5. Optimise resources and budget

Each photo or detailed review can be reused on your website, newsletter, or campaigns.

Authentic content often performs better than glossy images and costs less to produce.

💭 In short...

Authentic customer content is a form of online social proof that improves organic visibility and reduces purchase hesitation.

🎯 Real-World Example: ASOS and #AsSeenOnMe

The ASOS brand has built an entire UGC strategy around the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe, a clever play on the phrase “As seen on TV”. This really highlights the shift in marketing perceptions among the general public. No longer is TV the trend setter, but now it’s the consumers themselves.

The campaign encourages customers to share real photos of their outfits on social media using this hashtag. These posts are then curated and used on product pages and digital campaigns, strengthening the brand's credibility and inspiring others to purchase.

👉 It’s a really great example of how user-generated content can become a fundamental part of the sales funnel.

Source: Instagram, #AsSeenOnMe hashtag feed

Where and how to use UGC

Having authentic reviews, photos, and videos is just the first step. The true value of UGC emerges when you know where to place it in order to maximise trust and conversions, integrating it at the right touchpoints along the customer journey.

Here are the main channels and ways to make the most of it:

• Product pages:
  Product reviews, images, and Q&As help clarify doubts and facilitate purchasing decisions. Many shops integrate review systems as well as Q&A features and visual content, which also benefits SEO.
  
  
• Homepage and landing pages:
  Inserting widgets for shop ratings as well as product reviews on your homepage and other dedicated landing pages can make a difference at the top of the sales funnel. Highlighting a particularly glowing review with a review snippet can also be impactful.
  
  
• Social media:
  UGC is perfect for fuelling your content strategy: customer photos, unboxing videos, visual reviews. Some e-commerce brands use features like Trusted Shops' Social Media Creator to transform real reviews into shareable social content.
  
  
• Post-Purchase Emails:
  Asking for a review at the right time is the first step. Encouraging customers to submit a photo or detailed comment can increase response rates and generate reusable content. Automated post-purchase emails make the process simple and scalable.
  
  
• Blogs and Educational Content
  Case studies, real-life stories, and review excerpts (analysed for tone and meaning) make excellent material for blog posts, landing pages, and downloadable resources.

Image source: Instagram profile from @futureshopuk

How to encourage customers to create content

Shutterstock/Sammby

Here are some ideas for getting more UGC from your customers:

• It starts with offering an excellent shopping experience, from the clarity of the website to the quality of the packaging.
• Ask for reviews at the right time: after delivery and but enough time for the product to have been used.
• Explain what you're asking for and why a personal request works better than a generic message. Encourage the addition of photos or personal details.
• Give them small incentives (like a discount code) or run a hashtag contest. Make sure your conditions are legal.
• Showcase the content received by sharing it (with permission) on other channels.
• Maintain a human and transparent tone. This encourages honest responses.

Beyond collection: Analyse UGC to improve

User-generated content tells much more than a star rating.

Today, there are a lot of tools to help you analyse what consumers are saying about you around the internet.

For social media, popular tools include Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and Buffer.

For customer reviews, it starts with your rating, but some tools allow you to dig much deeper. The Sentiment Analysis tool from Trusted Shops allows you to:

• Identify the general tone of reviews
• Identify recurring patterns (e.g., delivery problems, appreciation for customer service)
• Use customer language to improve product descriptions

💰 UGC data is a goldmine for marketing and sales teams: It helps overcome objections, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen the brand’s value proposition.

Leveraging AI to get even more out of user-generated content

Artificial Intelligence can take UGC to the next level, analysing not only content but also the emotions that accompany it.

By applying AI to UGC, you can go from simply displaying reviews to using them as actionable intelligence, prioritising the most persuasive ones, identifying opportunities for improvement, and enhancing personalisation throughout the customer journey.

AI can also:

• Automatically filter and categorise content by topic or emotion
• Identify emerging trends and needs in real time
• Recommend the best placement for each piece of content to maximise its impact.

As we mentioned, tools like the Sentiment Analysis can instantly analyse thousands of customer reviews.

Other tools, like the Smart Review Assistant, allow you to engage with your customer reviews easily with AI-generated responses that are unique, relevant, and friendly in tone. Of course, every generated reply can be customised and edited before publication.

Conclusion

UGC isn't just a nice extra — it's one of the most powerful assets your e-commerce business already has, often without realising it.

Reviews with photos, real customer images, spontaneous comments: this type of content not only builds trust, but can have a decisive impact on conversions and your site's visibility in search engines.

With tools like Trustbadge®, Sentiment Analysis, and the Smart Review Assistant, collecting, managing, and analysing reviews becomes simple and immediate. This way, UGC becomes a truly strategic asset, helping you sell more, communicate better, and build relationships with your customers with a foundation of trust.

This article was originally published on our Italian-language blog: UGC ecommerce: come far crescere vendite, conversioni e SEO