Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions
Ads featuring UGC result in a 73% more positive purchasing decision from consumers
Websites with featured user content saw a 20% increase in return visitors
Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to say user-generated content is authentic compared to brand-created content
92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know above all other forms of advertising
88% of consumers look for reviews and recommendations before making a purchase online
User-generated content posts on social media have a 28% higher engagement rate than standard brand posts
Brand engagement rises by 28% when consumers are exposed to a mix of professional marketing content and user-generated content
UGC videos on TikTok get 22% more likes than brand-created videos
93% of marketers agree that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands
72% of brands believe that UGC helps them connect with their audience and build brand trust
Using UGC can save brands significant budget, as 50% of marketers say it is cheaper to source than creating original content
56% of consumers say they are more influenced by social media images and videos than by straightforward email offers
70% of Gen Z consumers will consider purchasing a product after seeing it in a YouTube video
64% of consumers strongly agree that they prefer brands that allow them to connect with other customers
Consumer Preferences
- 156% of consumers say they are more influenced by social media images and videos than by straightforward email offers
- 270% of Gen Z consumers will consider purchasing a product after seeing it in a YouTube video
- 364% of consumers strongly agree that they prefer brands that allow them to connect with other customers
- 450% of Millennials trust UGC for information about a major purchase over other media forms
- 548% of customers claim that user-generated content is a great method for them to discover new products
- 684% of millennials report that user-generated content on company websites has at least some influence on what they buy
- 771% of consumers stated reviews are important for identifying products that are 'safe' and 'reliable'
- 835% of Gen Z believes that user-generated content will be the future of advertising
- 981% of consumers will pay more for products that have user-generated content and reviews backing them
- 1054% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support
- 1153% of millennials say that UGC has influenced their purchasing decisions in the appliance and electronics categories
- 1266% of consumers have sought out a new brand because they saw a friend post about it on social media
- 1382% of shoppers say they want to see user-generated content from people who look like them
- 1461% of people would be more likely to engage with an advertisement if it contained user-generated content
- 1532% of internet users say they share content because they want to support a cause or brand they like
- 1655% of consumers trust UGC over other forms of marketing because it's not 'salesy'
- 1790% of US shoppers cite UGC as the most influential part of their purchase decision
- 1860% of consumers create UGC just to get a brand's attention or a 'shoutout'
- 1974% of consumers rely on social media to guide their purchasing decisions
Interpretation
Think of it as the new word of mouth gold rush because authentic photos, videos, and reviews from real customers now drive discovery, trust, engagement, and even higher willingness to pay across generations, so brands that cultivate and showcase user generated content and peer connections will win.
Content & Strategy
- 193% of marketers agree that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands
- 272% of brands believe that UGC helps them connect with their audience and build brand trust
- 3Using UGC can save brands significant budget, as 50% of marketers say it is cheaper to source than creating original content
- 487% of brands use specific hashtags to curate user-generated content
- 575% of marketers claim that UGC makes the brand feel more authentic
- 660% of marketers agree that scalability is the biggest challenge in content creation which UGC solves
- 741% of marketers rank UGC as their top performing KPI metric for social content
- 8Brands that integrate UGC into their marketing strategies see a 29% increase in web conversions
- 942% of marketers do not have a dedicated strategy for sourcing UGC despite its value
- 10Only 16% of brands have a clear strategy for User Generated Content
- 1186% of companies have used user-generated content as part of their marketing strategy
- 1275% of content marketers are looking to use more user-generated content in the coming year
- 1343% of brands rely on contests to generate user content
- 14A UGC strategy effectively fills the content gap, as 60% of marketers struggle to produce content consistently
- 1560% of brands say the biggest barrier to using UGC is gaining permission to use the content rights
- 1650% of brands create content that they believe is authentic, yet consumers disagree 51% of the time, highlighting a strategy gap
- 1727% of brands re-share customer content on their main feeds at least once a week
- 18Brands using a centralized platform to manage UGC save an average of 12 hours per week on content creation
- 1946% of marketers use UGC in their social advertising strategy specifically to reduce creative fatigue
- 2052% of marketers believe that UGC helps humanize the brand significantly more than stock photography
Interpretation
User-generated content has become the trusted, cost-saving engine that humanizes brands, scales content, fights creative fatigue and boosts conversions, yet paradoxically most companies lack a clear strategy or rights process, leaving an expensive authenticity gap they keep asking customers to fill.
Conversion Impact
- 179% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions
- 2Ads featuring UGC result in a 73% more positive purchasing decision from consumers
- 3Websites with featured user content saw a 20% increase in return visitors
- 4Visitors spend 90% more time on on-site galleries that feature UGC
- 5Placing UGC directly on product pages can increase conversions by up to 6.4%
- 6Video UGC is up to 35% more memorable than other types of media, influencing later sales
- 7Email campaigns that feature user-generated content have a 78% higher click-through rate
- 8On-site reviews can increase sales by 18%
- 9There is a 29% increase in web conversions when websites feature user-generated content
- 10Fashion sites with UGC see a 91% increase in conversion intent
- 11UGC marketing leads to a 50% drop in cost-per-acquisition (CPA)
- 12Revenue per visitor increases by 106% when they interact with UGC on a site
- 13Display ads featuring UGC generate 5x greater return on ad spend (ROAS)
- 14Interactive UGC (polls/quizzes) results in a 13% increase in lead generation
- 15Including UGC leads to a 45% increase in social media conversion rates
- 16Stores with UGC galleries saw a 2% avg order value increase alongside conversion boosts
- 17Millennials are 18% times more likely to purchase a product if they see a relatable user image
- 18Embedding social UGC feeds on booking pages increased conversions by 7% for travel brands
- 19Cart abandonment rates decrease by 2-5% when user photos are displayed at checkout
- 20Adding user reviews to a product page resulted in a 35% increase in conversion for low-priced products
Interpretation
User-generated content is the most persuasive salesperson you never hired, turning real customer experiences into trust that drives more engagement, longer on-site time, higher click-throughs and ad returns, bigger conversion and revenue lifts, and lower acquisition costs across the funnel.
Social Engagement
- 1User-generated content posts on social media have a 28% higher engagement rate than standard brand posts
- 2Brand engagement rises by 28% when consumers are exposed to a mix of professional marketing content and user-generated content
- 3UGC videos on TikTok get 22% more likes than brand-created videos
- 4Campaigns incorporating UGC see a 50% increase in engagement over those that do not
- 5Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images, often driven by user photos
- 6Instagram stories that feature UGC have a 15% lower exit rate than branded stories
- 7Facebook ads with UGC have a 300% higher click-through rate (CTR) and a 50% lower cost per click (CPC)
- 8Visual UGC is shared more than twice as much as other types of content on social channels
- 9On Pinterest, UGC content drives 4x more engagement than professional brand images
- 10LinkedIn posts involving employee advocacy (a form of UGC) get 8x more engagement than brand posts
- 11Pins on Pinterest that show pulling a product into real life (UGC style) have a 30% higher click-through rate
- 12User-generated videos on YouTube get 10x more views than content created and uploaded by the actual brand
- 13Retweets of UGC are 88% higher than retweets of brand-owned content
- 14Engagement on brand posts increases by 28% when users are encouraged to submit their own content
- 15Instagram accounts that run UGC contests grow their followers 70% faster than those that don't
- 1645% of people unfollow a brand if they self-promote too much without sharing community content
- 17User-generated content drives a 73% increase in email click-through rates for social campaigns
- 18The number of daily video views on social media driven by influencers and users has doubled in two years
- 1951% of Facebook users are more likely to engage with a brand after seeing a friend's post about it
- 20Posts with a location tag (often user-generated check-ins) get 79% more engagement
Interpretation
Put simply, the numbers show that brands stop selling and start winning when they blend professional content with authentic user photos and videos: engagement, shares and clicks soar—from typical 28% lifts to 10x view counts and even 300% higher CTR, follower growth accelerates and ad costs fall, while relentless self-promotion still drives almost half of people to unfollow.
Trust & Credibility
- 1Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to say user-generated content is authentic compared to brand-created content
- 292% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know above all other forms of advertising
- 388% of consumers look for reviews and recommendations before making a purchase online
- 4Only 1% of consumers say they trust massive influencer accounts, preferring micro-influencers and real users
- 551% of consumers believe that less than half of brands create authentic content
- 630% of millennials have unfollowed a brand because they felt the content was inauthentic
- 744% of consumers say they will not buy a product if there are no live reviews or photos from real people
- 862% of consumers say they are more likely to click on content like ads, websites, emails, or social posts that feature customer photos rather than an image created by the brand
- 959% of consumers feel that UGC is the most authentic type of content
- 1088% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 1163% of customers trust a product more when the product page features photos taken by other customers
- 1258% of consumers have left an ecommerce store because it did not contain customer reviews or photos
- 1314% of consumers would trust a strictly brand-sponsored post, compared to 92% for organic UGC
- 1476% of individuals admit that they're more likely to trust content shared by 'average' people than by brands
- 15Products with fewer than 5 reviews are 7% less trustworthy than those with more than 20
- 1680% of consumers say authenticity of content allows them to follow a brand's evolution and trust their mission
- 1767% of consumers say that a universal desire for transparency makes them trust UGC more
- 1877% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand if they see it helping real customers in public reviews
- 1931% of consumers say looking at user reviews reduces their anxiety about buying a fake product
- 2095% of customers read reviews before making a purchase, illustrating the reliance on peer validation
Interpretation
Quit polishing every post and start amplifying real customers, because shoppers treat user-generated content as the currency of trust—they’re 2.4 times more likely to call it authentic, 92% trust people they know, 95% read reviews, massive influencer accounts earn almost no trust, and many will skip or abandon stores that lack real photos and reviews.
