Purchase influence moves to consumer-to-consumer with power shift to shoppers

68% of Americans find ratings, reviews, photos, and videos from other shoppers important

Bazaarvoice Inc., provider of product reviews and user-generated content (UGC) solutions, released its annual Shopper Experience Index, based on a survey of more than 7,000 global shoppers. The report proves today’s power shift from brands to consumers, reinforcing the importance of shopper-driven content over brand-created content. With the increase of power in peer-to-peer communication, shoppers are becoming brands’ best salespeople.

Zarina Lam Stanford, CMO at Bazaarvoice

Source: Bazaarvoice

“Our reviews provide social proof to customers who are discovering the brand for the first time,” said Andrew Longley, Head of Digital at Le Col. “It gives them confidence that the products are the highest quality and we believe reviews are as important to new customers as our own product claims.”

• Reviews are essential for conversion: Globally, 86% of shoppers and 82% of Americans read shopper reviews when browsing or buying and 75% globally (72% in the U.S.) look at photos and videos from other shoppers.
• Social gets people shopping: Social commerce has been adopted quickly thanks to its convenience, with half of Americans saying they didn’t buy on social media prior to 2021. But now, 47% purchase on social media one to two times a month, up from 38.5% in 2021. Globally, 58% said they would be more likely to buy if they could read customer reviews directly on the social post.
• Consumers prefer peers’ content over professionals’: While 53% of Americans want brands to use a mix of both professional photography and UGC when showcasing products, more (54%) said that UGC makes them more confident in their purchase decision than professional photography (46%) does. Half said they would still buy a product if there are no professional product photos on the product page.

“What used to be business-to-consumer marketing, is now becoming consumer-to-business, and in some sectors, already morphing into consumer-to-consumer as consumers value and trust what other shoppers say about a brand and its products more than branded content. Brands need to rethink their paid media and content strategies and capitalize on influential peer-to-peer conversations to inform, inspire, and convert,” said Zarina Lam Stanford, CMO at Bazaarvoice. “Unfiltered user-generated content elevates authenticity, which in turn drives trust.”

The full report can be found here.