The modern landscape of content creation allows anyone to post videos and share their opinions online. With platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok giving ordinary people a voice, there is a wealth of user-generated content about brands and products that businesses can use to their advantage.

Consumers are more than ever looking to other people online to influence their buying decisions. Research shows that 88% of consumers trust online reviews written by other consumers as much as they trust recommendations from friends and family – while 59% of millennials say that UGC on company websites influences the products they buy.

Marketing techniques like in-video search harness user-generated video content by allowing companies to find the customers and influencers talking about their products. Using UGC Video helps Shopify eCommerce businesses build connections with their customers and adds credibility to your brand.

In this article, we'll explore the main ways user-generated video content can help strengthen your brand and how Vyrill is the perfect platform to bridge video commerce and smart advertising campaigns.

What is UGC Video?

User-generated content is anything – text, videos and images – that is created by other people (often customers or influencers) instead of the business itself. Thereby, UGC Video is video content made by your customers or by paid influencers. This can be in the form of product videos reviews, haul videos, demos and how-to guides.

For example, millennials are turning to UGC sites like YouTube to gauge other people's opinions on technology like smartphones. Content creators like Marques Brownlee have amassed a following of over 14 million subscribers posting reviews on smartphones, tablets, computers and electric cars. Consumers trust these creators for their impartiality and honesty, and therefore they have a huge influence on buying decisions. 

Research from Pixlee suggests that 64% of customers will actively seek online reviews before making a purchasing decision, and millennials trust UGC 50% more than original content generated by brands. For eCommerce businesses, targeting advertising on UGC video can yield far more engagement and thus sales than any other channel. 

Why use UGC Video?

1. User-Generated Video is Authentic

Consumers are increasingly able to distinguish marketing material from real opinions – and are wary of the content generated by brands. Consumers are often aware that a lot of marketing material can be false, and would rather trust other customers when making purchasing decisions. User-generated content gives brands credibility by presenting opinions from real customers. Consumers

90% of consumers say they look for authenticity in the brands they buy from and consumers are 2.4x more likely to say that user-generated content is authentic. Brands like to create polished videos (for example, expertly edited product showcases or fake reviews with film crews).

However, for most consumers, this type of content is impersonal and can fail to resonate – leading to low brand engagement. 

2. Helps build trust

Consumers appreciate brands who use user-generated video on their Shopify stores as it suggests the store is confident and assured about their products. UGC video is rarely ever 100% positive – but that's OK as no product is perfect. By using the opinions and reactions of real people, your customers will get an idea of what to expect from your brand.

This increases the trust your customers have in your store, alongside creating a brand image of honesty. UGC video shows products exactly how they look, and are more likely to be effective marketing tools to convert sales than polished brand-generated content. Almost 50% of people cite “my products won’t look the same when they arrive” as their biggest concern when shopping online. Videos can help alleviate this worry.

Brand trust is especially a concern for Shopify stores as they don't have the brand recognition or buyer protection of Amazon or eBay. It is, therefore, harder to establish that your store is legitimate and trustworthy. Pixlee’s research found that “86% of Millennials say that UGC is a positive indicator of brand quality."

3. Unlocks the creativity of individuals

No matter how much you think you know about your products and their uses, your customers will always find new and exciting ways to use your merchandise. For example, beauty vloggers posting haul videos are likely to find interesting ways to use beauty products – like expertly crafted makeup designs or sharing their personal beauty routine.

Your customers may be experts in the field, and will therefore be the best way to showcase the possibilities with your product. Therefore, using UGC video as a demonstration of your product will save you money on hiring professionals and creating the content yourself. 

4. Involves your customers in your brand

By working with customers to put their content on your Shopify store, you are pivoting your brand toward one that is more customer-focused. UGC video helps customers relate to the brand and feel like a part of your store. It projects the message that your store cares about its customers – promoting brand loyalty.

UGC content can be used in community management strategy to engage followers and loyal customers on social media. For example, your store’s Instagram page could share videos and images posted by your customers.

5. Increase Sales

This is the ultimate target of using UGC video: to increase sales. According to Shopify, UGC results in 29% higher web conversions and 4x higher click-through rates. The use of user-generated video breaks down the barriers stopping potential customers from purchasing your product. This will lead to higher sales and makes it easier for your store to grow.

Remember, with every new order, there’s another opportunity for a customer to make a video about your product. Whether that’s a showcase, a review or a haul, using this content correctly is key to reliably increase conversion rates.

How do I source user-generated video content?

While most social media platforms have ways to search for content through hashtags, most creators don’t use them unless they are actively looking to be discovered. To find videos from established reviewers or ordinary users, you’ll need an external tool to sift through videos.

That’s where Vyrill comes in. This fan discovery platform offers businesses AI-driven in-video search. Think of Vyrill as a search engine like Google but for all the videos that relate to your brand. 

This platform has captured, ranked and analyzed over 3 million videos from 250,000+ creators. It has scanned the video and audio of each clip and categorized it on metrics such as: 

• Brand
• Product
• Category
• Keyword
• Hashtag
• And Competitor

One of the biggest concerns of using user-generated content is possible issues with brand safety. Vyrill actively monitors for profanity, nudity or potentially controversial aspects of videos – and if needs be can filter them out.

Through their social listening algorithm, Vyrill scans moving images to identify positive or negative sentiment.

Vyrill unlocks a whole host of new opportunities: 

• Power up your social commerce: Vyrill allows you to monitor real-time trends by scanning user-generated content. You can also monitor competitors and even analyze how much traction your products are receiving.
• Find new customers and influencers: If you’re looking to adopt influencer marketing techniques, you can find creators covering your competitors to identify worthwhile partnerships. 
• Increase sales: With Vyrill, you can boost campaign ROI by investing in what is working and develop a personalized experience for your customers. 

Get started today 

To unlock the potential of user-generated video contact, you can use Vyrill to find the best and most lucrative fan videos for use on your Shopify store. See how your existing customers can help boost your sales at Vyrill.com today!

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About the Author

Katy boasts two decades in B2B technology & services, spearheading growth and brand evolution. A former Adobe marketing maven for 9 years, she’s since built growth teams for 5 tech startups that have all been acquired. With a stellar record in operational excellence and creating demand, she excels at leading successful cross-functional initiatives that enable companies to scale up.