Repeat customers aren’t just crucial for long-term success; they are the backbone of a thriving brand or retailer. But nailing down the best practices for increasing customer retention? That’s a whole different beast. There’s no magic formula to turn one-time shoppers into lifelong fans, but user-generated content (UGC) is a game changer. Here’s why UGC is a must-have for creating repeat customers:

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UGC Instills Trust

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Remember the last time you checked out ratings and reviews before making a purchase? Bet you got insights that you wouldn’t have found in the glossy marketing materials from the retailer. When a retailer lets customers share their personal experiences, it sends a message: they’ve got nothing to hide. This kind of transparency builds trust, and research backs it up—79% of people say UGC significantly impacts their decision-making. Imagine you’re redoing your kitchen and need new countertops. Would you really go with a contractor without seeing any photos, reviews, or feedback from past customers? If there’s no UGC, potential shoppers might think something’s fishy. Retailers can dispel this mystery with vivid, engaging UGC, forging a lasting connection with their customers.

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Since UGC serves as such a vital instrument in helping to guide people’s buying decisions, it can raise major red flags when retailers don’t have any. Let’s say for example you’re making an update to your kitchen by putting in some new countertops. Could you imagine choosing to move forward with a costly installation without seeing any pictures, reviews or feedback from the contractor’s previous customers? When customers have no feedback to make judgements on, its fair for prospective shoppers to wonder why that is, and their imaginations may not always work in favor of the retailer. By offering attention-grabbing, vivid displays of UGC, retailers can eliminate the mystery potential customers might have regarding the shopping experience that awaits them. Correctly doing so can help retailers build a lasting connection with shoppers.

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UGC Builds Emotional Connections

When retailers create experiences that customers can’t wait to share, they should have a plan to capture that joy. Think about the last time you eagerly awaited a delivery and it exceeded all your expectations. If the retailer had encouraged you to share a video review or photos, that content could then light up their social media and website, drawing in shoppers who crave that same thrill. Emotional connections are gold. Let’s say you’re on a retailer’s site and you ask a question that another shopper answers perfectly. That clarity and relief you feel translate into trust and excitement to share your positive experience. Once shoppers feel this way, they’re likely to return. In fact, 75% of customers remain loyal to brands they trust, even if those brands stumble in the competitive market. Properly leveraging UGC can build a community of loyal brand advocates.

Let’s pretend you’re on a retailer’s website and they allow users to ask questions that either other shoppers or the retailer themselves can answer. After submitting your question, you receive an answer from a different shopper that fully clears up your confusion. This leads to feelings of relief, trust and even excitement to share your experience with other prospective shoppers. Once a shopper has developed those feelings for a retailer, it’s likely they’ll return. Research shows, 75% of customers will remain loyal to a brand they trust, even if a retailer loses their competitive edge in the marketplace. When retailers leverage UGC properly, they can eventually build a community of dedicated brand advocates.

UGC Creates Community

Retailers with goals of high customer retention benefit from pulling out all the stops in order to make their shoppers feel good about doing business with them. A great way of doing that is to encourage customers to share and engage with each other’s content. Doing so can serve as an effective strategy for generating social media activity, too. Take visual reviews for example. Once a retailer uploads a visual review onto their twitter page, the shopper who left the review is likely to see it if they’re a follower. When they do, they’ll probably like it, retweet it and maybe even add a comment of their own. This helps not only the retailer, but other prospective shoppers who may be spending time on twitter as well. Additionally, past shoppers who have had positive experiences with the brand have the chance to engage with not only the retailer but the shopper who left the review, too. Retailers benefit by providing opportunities for continued engagement by remaining at the top of the minds of shoppers because of the ongoing conversations online.

Turning first-time shoppers into repeat customers can be one of the biggest challenges retailers are faced with. This is exactly where we come in. The resources we provide for brands and retailers are geared towards turning that challenge into point of pride.

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