Scoprite i segreti del successo delle attività dirette al consumatore

Investing in traditional advertising is becoming more challenging due to the ever growing costs and the oversaturated market. Since the iOS 14 update, D2C brands have been forced to think outside the box, developing the most creative ways to advertise to their audiences. In an effort to be more creative while reaching the masses, they've discovered the power that IGC and UGC hold. Influencer-generated content and user-generated content have equally become the key elements to a successful marketing strategy that yields better results. And the reason for it? The content is much more relatable than a traditional advertisement. This advertising method has helped improve conversion rates and boost sales for digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs) looking for a way to make a name for themselves while up against the major competition.

Top-rated fashion brand Fashion Nova collaborated with female music artist Cardi B. in November 2018 with its "Party with Cardi" collection, which included a special event featuring the rapper and several other music artists, including Saweetie. It was so successful that items sold out within seconds! Not only did this mean major sales for the business, but it also led to a tremendous amount of organic user-generated content from those who managed to snag pieces from the event. In addition, since its successful collaboration with Cardi, the fashion brand has partnered with many other celebrities and mega influencers, including Teyana Taylor and Megan Thee Stallion. The brand has successfully built an empire by relying on influencer and user-generated content.

It's important to understand that IGC and UGC differ from one another, although both can bring tremendous value to your brand and business. Let's face it – influencer communities are often much more prominent. These people tend to have a massive following that occasionally consists of millions of people who care about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions, which is impressive. It's also great for brands that want to reach new people and target a massive audience. And when you choose to work with influencers, you will usually have more control over what they say in the content created, especially if you're paying them to do so. But UGC still has its perks. UGC is often cheaper and, at times, will cost you absolutely nothing.

Of course, you're probably asking yourself, "Which is better – user-generated or influencer-generated content?" The answer will depend on a few different factors, including the size of your business, what you sell, who you're trying to reach, and how much you can afford to spend.

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What is Influencer-generated content and why you should do it

• Influencer-generated content is any content created by someone with a following of a minimum of 5000 people (usually much more than that).
• By the end of 2022, the influencer marketing industry will likely have a value of $16.4B.
• Instagram is currently the most popular social media platform used for influencer marketing.

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

When using influencer-generated content to advertise to consumers, you have the ability to get your brand's name out there. These individuals have thousands and, at times, millions of people following them who will see the content they've created. When you have them creating content where they're saying good things about your brands, it leads to more web traffic that converts. People will want to buy the items they saw their favorite influencer(s) discussing on social media. If you aim to get more people interested in your brand, it's a good idea to reach out to influencers.

American Eagle might not be new to the fashion industry, but the brand is bringing life back to its products and gaining more sales than ever due to its partnership with popular social media influencer Addison Rae. The company used Addison Rae to advertise its new line of Mom Jeans, which resulted in thousands of regular TikTok users posting themselves doing try-on hauls. The genius approach has benefited American Eagle, enabling them to use both influencer and user-generated content to their advantage to strengthen sales.

💙 Bigblue Tip: By providing a branded experience for customers with the help of Bigblue, Nutrivita boosted delivery satisfaction by 95%. Improving the experience often leads to better reviews and organic user-generated content that helps brands grow. Focus on doing what you can to bring joy and excitement to your clients to receive more user-generated content than ever.

Influencer-generated content may be the method to choose if you:

• Don't mind sending out products for free or paying influencers to post about your brand and the different products you offer.
• Are interested in reaching a targeted group of people who will feel more inclined to buy from you if they see someone they like talking about your brand/products.
• Want to start connecting with a new audience and want to do so with the help of a mega influencer with millions of followers.
• Hope to get high-quality content carefully created by influencers that you can post in various places, including your website and other social media platforms.

What is User-generated content and why you should do it

• User-generated content consists of any content created by a regular consumer who says something about a brand or its products.
• The average consumer spends over 5 hours per day watching user-generated content.
• 60% of consumers believe that of all marketing content available to them, UGC is most authentic.

Instead of paying out of pocket to get people to make content for you as you'd normally need to do with influencer-generated content, user-generated content comes naturally. People are more likely to create videos and posts on social media about their experiences with a brand when it's a genuinely good one. If you can exceed expectations, customers will look forward to generating content about your products and sharing that content with others. The best way to exceed expectations? Offer high-quality products and an incredible unboxing experience that will leave a better impression on your customers.

💙 Bigblue Tip: Provide custom packaging like FROM FUTURE to offer a pleasant surprise to your customers. The company managed to boost buyer satisfaction by 89% within just four months, meaning you have the potential to do the same!

Need an example of a famous UGC marketing strategy? Si Si La Paillette uses FAQs to create viral videos on TikTok. These videos work wonders for the company for several reasons. First, they’re responding to important questions that consumers have and want the answers to before they buy. However, they’re also creating valuable, insightful content and connecting with more consumers, which benefits the brand.

Use Si Si La Paillette’s Strategy to Get the Content You Need

One thing you might notice when you first start posting to platforms like TikTok is that consumers often have questions. Use this to your advantage, answering questions with video content that broadens your reach and helps your brand get more views. If possible, have influencers replying to some of these questions with their own video content, which will boost views even more. By using this effective marketing strategy, you can spend less and still see incredible results.

Check out how Si Si La Paillette uses FAQs from consumers to create content that goes viral on TikTok

User-generated content is likely the best option for you to choose if…

• You want to build a name for your brand but don’t have a big budget.
• You’re confident in the quality of the products you provide to your consumers.
• You’re willing to take steps needed to enhance the experience, such as improving the unboxing experience.
• It’s your goal to appear as relatable and authentic as possible when connecting with the consumers.
• You don’t care nearly as much about growing quickly as you do about building a solid community of loyal customers.
  

IGC or UGC: When to Use One or the Other

The decision may be tough when deciding which to use, user-generated or influencer-generated content. Both have their pros and cons and can help brands of all sizes make a name for themselves, even dealing with a lot of competition.

Of course, it comes down to what you can afford, working within your budget, and using what you feel will work best for your business model. Most importantly, it helps to know that you can use a little bit of both in your marketing strategy to achieve the best possible outcome. Plenty of brands are already combining both options to get the greatest return on their investment while boosting sales.

Check out this list of some of the pros and cons of each type of content to help you decide which to use for your next marketing campaign.🔽🔽🔽

✅ Pros of IGC

• With influencer-generated content, it's easier than ever to reach a larger audience because these individuals have thousands or even millions of people following them and paying attention to what they post.
• You have the option of choosing between different influencers. There are many of them, including nano, micro, macro, and mega influencers, willing to post about brands.
• Influencers with higher engagement rates who post about your brand can help you increase your follower count and boost traffic to your website, which results in more sales!

❌ Cons of IGC

• Engaging well-established influencers is not always easy, so reaching out to them directly might not work.
• It can cost you money to get influencers to create content about your brand and the products you sell. Some charge more than others!
• Some influencers are a bit controversial. It's important to choose the influencers you plan to work with wisely because you don't want to deal with the drawbacks of any controversy they might cause.

✅ Pros of UGC

• User-generated content is recognized as the most relatable type of marketing in existence. When people have someone like themselves talking about a product they love, it feels more like a conversation with a friend or family member.
• The content they create can help you gain more visibility for your brand. In addition, it can make your brand seem more authentic.
• When searching social media for different products, it makes it easier for consumers to come across content about your brand. As a result, they may choose to visit your social media pages or even check out your website to see what you're selling.

❌ Cons of UGC

• You're not guaranteed content from consumers, even if they loved the experience you provided to them.
• Not all user-generated content created is positive. For example, consumers might say something they dislike about the brand.
• Not all creators have large followings, so the chances of getting millions of people to see the content are smaller. However, it can still happen, especially on a platform like TikTok, where some of the most random things go viral (Chicken salad, anyone?)

💙 Bigblue Tip: Use a combo of user-generated and influencer-generated content to bolster your marketing efforts. Search for influencers with decent followings who typically share their thoughts and feelings about brands like yours! Connect with them and continue to provide an incredible experience to all to improve your chances of getting more user-generated content created.

To boost your website's conversion rate, you may have considered various strategies to improve user experience and increase customer engagement. One such strategy is product seeding, which involves giving away a company's products to influential individuals or organisations in the hope that they will promote the product to your target audience.

Here are five reasons why you should implement product seeding to your influencer marketing strategy to boost your CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation):

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1. Increase visibility and brand awareness

Product seeding is a powerful marketing tactic that helps to increase visibility and brand awareness for a product or service. Putting your product/service in the hands of important influencers, bloggers, or social media stars can give you more reach and get significant attention for your business.

Product seeding allows you to demonstrate your product in actual conditions, allowing potential customers to observe how it would fit into their daily lives. It can be especially effective for products that are difficult to demonstrate through traditional marketing channels, such as beauty products, fashion accessories, or home decor items. For example, Maybelline frequently sends sample sizes of its products to influencers and bloggers for them to try and review. This creates buzz and interest in the brand.

Moreover, product seeding can help generate positive word-of-mouth marketing for your brand. When influencers or bloggers share their experiences with your product, their followers are likelier to view your brand as trustworthy and credible and to talk about it with their peers. This kind of word-of-mouth marketing can be powerful in spreading awareness of your product and making it more visible. It can lead to more people discovering your product and potentially becoming customers.

Adobe used product seeding by providing their latest software and tools to graphic designers and influencers to use and promote on their social media platforms. By targeting this type of influencer, the brand reached its target audience and increased word of mouth tenfold.

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2. Improve credibility and trust

Product seeding is essential to build credibility and trust, which are necessary for a successful CRO. Placing your product with influencers, customers, and prospects gives proof of its value and quality, resulting in greater trust with your target market.

Here are some critical ways that product seeding can help to improve credibility and trust:

• Third-party endorsements - Product seeding can help secure third-party approvals from reputable sources such as industry experts, publications, and review websites. These endorsements provide objective validation of your product's quality, can help to build trust with potential customers and are crucial for your product marketing strategy. For instance, Patagonia used product seeding by providing outdoor adventurers and influencers with their latest clothing and gear to use on their adventures and share on social media.

• Demonstrations and reviews - Product seeding can allow potential customers to see your product in action and hear about its features and benefits from people who have already tried it. Nike used product seeding by providing sports teams with their latest sports apparel and equipment to wear and use during games and practices. It helps build trust and credibility by providing tangible evidence of the product's performance and value. Product seeding also gives you customer comments on your product's usefulness and value, which build trust and confidence.

• Hands-on experience - Finally, product seeding allows potential customers to try your product for themselves, providing them with a hands-on experience that can help to build trust and credibility. By allowing potential customers to test your product, you can give them the confidence they need to make a purchase decision. Revlon regularly sends sample sizes of their products to customers who have signed up for their email list or participated in promotions. This allows customers to try the products before making a full purchase.

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3. Boost engagement and social proof

When you give away free product samples, you allow people to try them out for themselves without making a purchase. It can be incredibly compelling for potential customers, as it will enable them to see the value of your product firsthand. As a result, they are more likely to engage with your brand and share their experience with their friends and followers on social media.

Additionally, product seeding can help to increase social proof for your product. When influencers or key individuals try your product and share their positive experiences with their followers, it can help build trust and credibility for your brand. Influencers with a large, active fanbase can help increase the worth of your product in the eyes of potential buyers.

Overall, product seeding is an essential strategy for boosting your CRO because it can help to increase engagement and social proof for your product. By giving away free samples and leveraging the power of influencers and social media, you can create buzz and interest in your product, ultimately driving more conversions and sales.

💙 Bigblue Tip: Dermalogica uses Bigblue for their product seeding strategy

Dermalogica uses Bigblue’s gift-App feature to offer free products to their client’s orders. How does it work? Dermalogica can either establish conditions to add gifts (promo codes, purchase amount) or launch seasonal marketing campaigns to automatically offer a gift to each order on a given period.

👉 Discover Dermalogica’s success story

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4. Grow sales and revenue

One of the primary goals of product seeding is to increase sales and revenue for your business.

By placing your products in front of potential customers, you can showcase your brand and its offerings more engagingly and compellingly. It can drive traffic to your website and increase sales, ultimately leading to increased revenue for your business.

Another benefit of product seeding is that it can create a sense of exclusivity and scarcity. When people see that a product is only available to a select group of individuals, they may be more likely to want to try it for themselves. It can help drive interest and demand for the product, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue.

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5. Increase customer loyalty and retention

In addition to increasing sales and revenue, product seeding can also help to increase customer loyalty and retention.

Collaborating with bloggers/influencers with dedicated supporters allows you to gain access to their fanbase and interact with prospective customers genuinely and dynamically. It can help build trust and loyalty with potential customers, leading to increased customer retention and loyalty for your business.

If you offer subscriptions, you could give your products to influencers or bloggers with a big following in your target market. It can increase brand exposure and drive traffic to your website, ultimately leading to more sales and increased customer loyalty and retention for your business.

Moreover, allowing customers to try the product before committing to purchasing it can build trust and confidence in your brand. Receiving a free sample can also create a positive emotional connection among the customers, leading to increased brand loyalty.

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In conclusion, product seeding is essential for leveraging your CRO strategy as it helps to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and generate positive word-of-mouth. Giving your product to influencers and experts to try and review allows access to their networks. It provides valuable input that can help enhance your product and promote it more effectively.

In 2021, Lululemon and Glossier successfully leveraged the power of product seeding by asking fitness influencers and beauty bloggers to advertise their activewear and skincare products on their respective social media channels. Implementing a product seeding strategy can take your CRO to the next level and improve the success of your brand.

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💙 Bigblue Tip: Check out the [Playbook] Product Seeding: The Key to Becoming an 8-figure Brand with Influencer Marketing for more details on using product seeding to boost your sales!

An effective way for e-commerce brands to extend their reach further than ever is to utilize influencer-generated content. Thousands of brands are taking this steadfast approach to boost efforts and ensure that millions of consumers can learn more about their brands and what they're selling. 

One of those brands is KISS Cosmetics. The famous cosmetic brand collected influencer-generated content from a makeup influencer with 13.6 million followers on TikTok. And how did it happen? Because the brand focused on collecting how-to and FAQ content from creators using its products on their favourite platforms.

Because 61% of consumers trust recommendations from influencers, influencer-generated content is, by far, one of the most incredible ways to get people interested enough in your brand and what you sell. If you're ready to reach new audiences and increase sales, earning more profit than ever, learn the top four best practices to leverage the power of influencer-generated content within your marketing strategy in this article. It won't take long for you to see the result of this modern, highly effective approach to marketing your e-commerce shop.

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1. Target micro-influencers

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• Micro-influencers typically have a minimum of 20,000 followers on their favourite social media platform and currently hold 91% of the market share.
• Mega influencers are just some of the ones who can help you garner attention from thousands of new people. Because micro-influencers tend to have great engagement rates, it's worth working with them, too!

Some brand owners are sceptical about influencer-generated content because they think they will need to reach out to mega influencers and face the possibility of rejection. After all, mega influencers often have millions of followers, meaning they're far more likely to turn down offers if they need more time or want to create content for a brand.

If you're feeling this way, don't stress over it. Instead of reaching out to people with millions of followers, go for the micro-influencers with around 20K followers. These people are building a name for themselves online and are often more willing to work with all kinds of brands. In addition, they're less likely to expect payment for their content and are more likely to appreciate the free product you're offering.

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_{Bigblue Tips
‍Find micro-influencers creating content that aligns with your brand's values. Connect with them, send free products, and watch the magic unfold as they begin creating content surrounding your brand and its products!}

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Recommended Tool: Create a community for your brand using WeWiink! The tool simplifies turning loyal customers into brand ambassadors who support your business. With a strong community full of supporters, you can quickly see an increase in overall sales.

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2. Use It on Your Website

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Use influencer-generated content on your website to gain credibility and appear even more authentic to consumers. Once you've sent out free products to influencers, it's a waiting game. But once the content starts rolling in, you will have more reviews, tutorials, and how-to videos for your brand than ever before. There are a few different ways to use the content generated by influencers on your website. 

You can do some of the following things:

• Place a special section at the top or bottom of your homepage that shows consumers who've used your products and uploaded the content using your brand's hashtag.
• Put a "See What Our Customers Have to Say" section on your site where potential customers can watch footage of others using your products and raving over them. The short-form content is engaging and relatable, which can help boost sales.
• Create an influencer section of your site with photos of influencers holding one of your products or supporting your brand. Consumers are more likely to trust your brand if they see others buying from it and using the products you sell. 
  

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_{Bigblue Tips
‍Post-influencer-generated content directly to your site to prove you're a trustworthy brand that provides high-quality products. People who see influencers using your products are more likely to buy them!}

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Like Impala Skates, you can create an influencer-friendly website that encourages more people to work with you. Some of the steps you can take when creating an influencer-friendly website include:

• Having a page for brand ambassadors to signup and agree to represent your brand
• Creating landing pages with promotional offers or influencer-focused events you're hosting
• Posting influencer-generated content across different pages of your website

Simple measures like this can make your brand appear more influencer-friendly, helping you connect with hundreds of influencers ready to collaborate with your brand.

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3. Use it in your FAQ content 

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Start collecting how-to and FAQ content that helps answer consumers' questions about your brand or products you've released. The reason it's best to collect this content is that it provides consumers with valuable information they may want or need to know before deciding to make a purchase. If you can answer questions they have for you, they're more likely to go right ahead with buying your products.

Si Si La Paillette is one of several brands using FAQ content to its advantage. In this TikTok video, you will notice the brand offering swatches of some of its products, which answers the question, "Are these pigmented?" It also gives consumers an idea of what the outcome will look like on their skin.

_{Bigblue Tip
‍Check out our Product Seeding Playbook: The Key to Becoming an 8-figure Brand with Influencer Marketing for details on using FAQs and how-to content to reel consumers in and get them interested enough to buy from your brand.}

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4. Use influencer whitelisting & dark posting

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Don't forget to use a combination of influencer whitelisting and dark posting, two techniques that have helped hundreds of brands reach new audiences.

In case you missed it, whitelisting is a process in which influencers allow brands access to their social media solely to post advertisements to specific audiences. While it's less user-friendly than influencer-generated and user-generated content, it still gets impressions. It can even earn a return on investment by appearing more credible because you're connected to social media influencers that people trust.

Can people tell these are advertisements? Yes! But they're still more likely to pay attention if they see their favourite influencer's name. ROWSE, one of Bigblue's clients, has implemented influencer whitelisting into its Facebook advertising strategy, which helped reduce its CAC by 30% while boosting its ROAS by 5x. That means you can have the same success with your e-commerce shop.

Along with whitelisting, dark posting has become increasingly popular. In this case, social media ads appear in the news feeds of specific users but won't appear on the influencer's profile page or news feed. A dark post can appear as an advertisement for people following the brand or the social media influencer. Still, it also tends to appear on those targeted to see the ad based on their demographics, such as location and age range. While most people will know dark posts are advertisements, they're still an effective way to reach the right audience, helping them discover your brand and products.

Global Ecommerce: How to Expand into Foreign Markets

If you own a successful D2C brand, now is the time to think about foreign markets and focus on global e-commerce growth. You will have the opportunity to connect with millions of new consumers from different countries strengthen your brand's promise, and drastically increase your profits.

Gymshark has leveraged social media platforms, including TikTok and Pinterest, to help facilitate growth and become an expanded brand. In fact, 17.3 million Gymshark workout videos were watched during the company's workout-style campaign, ultimately helping increase awareness and boost sales for the brand.

When you initially started your brand, you probably sold solely to customers in a specific market. However, if things are taking off and you've had many people from other countries express interest in buying your products, you can begin reaching out to foreign markets and gaining new loyal customers across the globe.

If you're ready to broaden your reach to international markets, take the following actionable steps to see the most incredible results.

1. Identify international market potential

The first step to global e-commerce growth is identifying the international market potential for your business. You need to know if the possibility of selling to thousands of people exists to ensure it's worth expanding to other countries outside your country of origin.

So, how can you determine the potential to serve clients outside your country and in several other countries worldwide? Take the following steps:

Step 1. Start researching the market

Take the time to do extensive research on your niche and how people in other countries feel about the types of products you sell. Try to find out if you would have any possible competition in some of these foreign markets and then see what they're doing. You may notice a definite need for the products you're selling, with little to no competition to deal with in certain countries, which provides you with an excellent opportunity to reach those consumers and profit from selling to them.

Step 2. Select your priority markets

If you're looking to expand to several markets worldwide, decide where to start. You may notice that the demand for the types of products you sell differs from country to country, with consumers from some locations being more likely to invest in what you sell than others. Prioritize by market size based on your vertical for the products you sell and your competition. Keep in mind any friction involved in entering the market.

The European Market consists of 27 countries with a value of € 14.5 trillion. Some countries have a bigger market than others. For example, France falls in seventh place in the e-commerce market, valued at $66.9 billion, while the UK takes fifth place with a GDP of $3.2 trillion.

Once you've gathered enough information to give you an idea of what to expect when expanding to global markets, you can decide which markets are worth it and which ones aren't. Then, if there is a demand for your product in all the countries you've researched, you can begin taking the steps needed to experience global e-commerce growth.

2. Benefits of international expansion

The benefits of international expansion are great. However, these are only some reasons to consider going global with your business.

• Your e-commerce business can flourish - When you initially started your business, you may have dreamed of earning thousands of dollars each month while catering to the needs of millions of customers across the country and worldwide.
  

Cosmetic brand Lush, known for its amazing bath bombs, leverages the power of user-generated content on different platforms. Because 55% of consumers prefer UGC over any other advertising option brands use, Lush has decided to use this content to garner more interest in the products it sells. Customers make videos of themselves using the products, including Lush's signature face masks, and then tag the company, helping them generate more UGC than ever!

• You will have the opportunity to increase your earning potential - Selling to more people means making more money in the long run. With global expansion, you can increase your earning potential while making a name for yourself internationally.
  

• You can broaden your reach and connect with people from different countries - Expanding to international markets can help you reach more consumers. You can strengthen your brand, connect with new people from these foreign countries, and begin bringing your brand vision to these new markets. As a result, you can grow and strengthen your community while gaining recognition as a brand that cares about consumers by delivering high-quality products.
  

• You will run a more diverse business that will capture more attention from consumers worldwide - Expanding to international markets means running a more diverse and inclusive business. Consumers from other countries often feel discouraged when they learn that products they want to purchase aren't available to them because of their location 55% of consumers abandon their carts if they feel the costs are too high. This is often the case when expanding to international markets and shipping internationally, with shipping costing much more than it would if consumers bought locally. The average consumer expects to buy from companies that accept their local currency. By having a multi-currency e-commerce platform, you can cater to the needs of your international clients.
  

Because of these benefits, expanding to an international market makes sense and could be a genuinely profitable decision for you to make.

3. Challenges of international expansion

While there are many benefits of international expansion, this doesn't come without a few challenges you will need to overcome. The good news? The opportunity is big enough to make it worth it. Best of all, these challenges are simply roadblocks, but they’re not impossible to overcome if you prepare well enough.

These are some of the following changes that business owners typically deal with when working on international expansion:

1. Local regulations - You will need to learn about local regulations before you sell products to consumers in other countries outside your country of origin. Commerce regulations differ from country to country and typically lay the foundation for whether you can sell in a specific country or not. You need to find out critical information, such as whether you will need a VAT. You will also need to know if it’s necessary to open a local company and, if so, how long that will take and how much that will cost you.

It would also include the details you'd need to add to your terms and conditions to remain compliant. Because commerce regulations aren't quite the same in different countries, you will need to take the time to learn about the rules and regulations in each country you plan to serve. If not, you could run into compliance issues, which may complicate things and cost you in the long run.

2. Localisation - Connecting with an audience may seem challenging when the people you're reaching out to in other countries don't speak your native language. It's why localisation is such a big deal.

Language barrier is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. 40% of global consumers won’t buy products from sites in other languages. You need to have a site that translates well for consumers from foreign countries. If it doesn't make sense in their language, they won't want to stay on your website, which can result in you losing the opportunity to build that connection with them and entice them to buy products from your site. Focus on localization to meet the needs of these consumers and show them that you've put forth the effort to build a site that translates well for them.

3. Logistics - Before successfully becoming an international brand, you need to figure out the logistics, including which service providers to use and how to get your items from your country to the next as quickly as possible. After all, you don't want to make your customers wait months to receive their merchandise, but you must also ensure you're following these countries' rules and regulations.

Learn the legal requirements of the countries you plan to ship products to and details about customs, with most packages from other countries going through customers before customers can receive them. Do your research to find the best way to ship these products to get them to your customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, and be transparent about shipping speed so that the consumers know what to expect before placing an order.

Consumers in the UK are susceptible to delivery times. 70% of UK consumers won’t buy from a brand if they’ve heard others share negative delivery experiences. In addition, carrier options are important. 87% of UK consumers agree that having different delivery options available to them is a deciding factor in whether they will make a purchase or not.

The key is to offer a delivery experience that matches with local delivery tendencies, whether consumers are used to receiving their goods in 24-48 hours or not. Keep in mind that shipping locally will cost less than shipping internationally. It can save you and the consumers up to 101%! Bigblue offers a convenient option for selling internationally.

5. Payment methods - Not all payment methods are created equal across the board within global markets. For example, while credit cards and digital wallets were considered the preferred method of payment for consumers in the United States in 2020, that wasn't the case for consumers in different countries, with mobile wallets such as ApplePay and PayPal taking the lead as the preferred method of payment for consumers in 2020. In fact, on a global scale, credit cards only accounted for 23% of e-commerce purchases. Because preferred payment methods differ from country to country, it's crucial to research and accept payment options that consumers in different countries will use and appreciate when buying from your business.

4. The 5 most attractive European e-commerce markets

The European market is massive, making it quite attractive. The European Market has a value of € 14.5 trillion. Luckily for you, the EU simplifies things so much in terms of regulations and currencies, that’s why localisation and adapting your market to the local languages is the biggest challenge. However, if your goal is to expand to some of the European e-commerce markets, these are some of the most attractive options.

UK 🇬🇧

The United Kingdom is home to 67 million people and has a massive economy worth € 14.5 trillion. Despite Brexit, the UK is a no-brainer option for brands interested in tackling the European market.

But what is it about the UK market that makes it so attractive? Not only is it massive, but UK consumers are highly sensitive to the delivery experience. These consumers typically have higher expectations, so if you can meet or even exceed those expectations, you can set yourself up on the right track for success and gain many new loyal customers.

There are a few other advantages of selling to the UK market. The UK has a simple taxation system in place, so you don't have to worry as much about dealing with taxes that have skyrocketed. The UK is known for welcoming businesses of all sizes, including international companies that sell to consumers on a global scale.  

The UK market is a gateway to connecting with European countries and further developing your brand. Best of all, there is no language barrier for English-speaking brands. If you need more information, be sure to check out Bigblue’s step-by-step playbook that covers the details you need to know to open your e-commerce shop in the UK in as little as eight weeks!

Germany 🇩🇪

If you're considering selling to a targeted audience in Germany, you're in luck because the country has the fourth-largest economy in the world and has an e-commerce value of US$ 141.20 billion. You would have the potential to reach millions of people with creative marketing campaigns that resonate with the German audience.

Known for its more robust economy, the average consumer in Germany earns a relatively stable income and would be more likely to easily afford the products you're selling. In addition, many residents of Germany spend more than consumers in other European countries.

France 🇫🇷

France is another country with an excellent market to consider targeting with your e-commerce business. Of all the economies within the European nation, France is one of the largest, coming in at second place. It’s valued at US$66.9 billion.

France is a pro-business country with consumers who often take time to do research before buying products to ensure they're well-informed. If you can connect with this audience, you have the potential to build a loyal pool of consumers. Bigblue has four warehouses in France with unique processes for specific industries, including fashion, wellness, food, and beauty brands, and is capable of shipping to all European countries.

Spain 🇪🇸

Spain's market size is massive, with a GDP of $1.390 trillion. The e-commerce market size is valued at $27.2 billion, meaning there is plenty of potential to reach your targeted audience by connecting with Spanish consumers.

The advantages of expanding to Spain's market are tremendous. It has a blossoming economy that remains strong, and it's also known for its excellent infrastructure. In addition, the people of Spain tend to appreciate, more than anything, the opportunity to connect with brands and businesses. Most Spanish consumers care more about the connection brands are willing to make with them, prioritizing that over the cost of a product.

Italy 🇮🇹

Italy takes the eighth spot among the world's largest economies. While this may not sound like a big deal, Italy's economy is the fastest-growing e-commerce market in Europe, so it's worth targeting its consumers. More than 59 million people live in Italy today, many of whom are willing to buy products online from companies they believe they can trust, even if those companies are located elsewhere. It has an e-commerce market size valued at $36 billion in 2020.

Italy has a reputation for innovation, with consumers often willing to make online purchases if it means getting what they need at fair prices. If you can offer impressive products that benefit these consumers and provide them with reasonable rates, they will feel more inclined to do business with you.

In a world where user-generated content is quickly becoming the preferred method of advertising for many brands, you're probably wondering what it is about this content that connects best with the audience. While there are many ways to make content for a brand, viral unboxings are one of the most popular types of UGC.

Consumers make videos of themselves unboxing the products and showing off the packaging and the products inside before going over additional details. Many of these unboxing videos go viral, which helps companies boost sales without paying for additional advertising.

So, what is it about a good unboxing that boosts sales? There are a few things that resonate with consumers and keep them interested enough to say to themselves, “I want to have the same experience. I need these products!”

• Unboxing videos are exciting. People love the idea of surprises and want to see what types of things are in the box!
• Good packaging makes such a difference. If consumers see this neat packaging that looks like something they’ve never experienced before when ordering, they will feel more inclined to buy from your brand.
• It’s fun to see how others react to products they’ve purchased. Most consumers agree that watching people open their goodies, share their excitement, and then talk about what each product does makes them feel more motivated to buy from that brand.

Personalisation - the key to viral unboxings

Personalize your packaging to set yourself apart from other brands. Don't just do what everyone else is doing. Instead, take things a few steps further to get an edge over the competition. For example, your effort in creating a better unboxing experience will leave more customers feeling inclined to post videos of themselves unboxing the products they've ordered from you.

Try some of these personalization tips to WOW your customers and encourage them to buy more from you:

• Use eco-friendly packaging. Most consumers care about reducing waste and positively impacting the environment. Using sustainable packaging can leave a better impression on your customers if you take the time to use sustainable packaging.
• Choose colors that represent your brand. Instead of sticking with primary hues, use brighter shades that represent your brand and stand out. Pastel pink, sky blue, and even lime green are excellent colors that truly stand out. Of course, adjust the color scheme to your liking based on your brand's image.
• Keep it simple. You want to impress with your packaging, but you also don't want to make customers go through a bunch of wrapping paper and wasteful packaging to get what they need. With that in mind, keep it simple to leave a better impression.
  

The key to getting those viral unboxings that boost sales is to focus on personalization, creating a remarkable experience that consumers want to discuss with everyone, such as their friends, family, and followers!

The Unboxing TikTok trend and how to use it to your advantage

Have you seen the unboxing trend on TikTok? People post videos of them unboxing all kinds of goodies from hundreds of different brands, both big and small! The number of Unboxing videos on the internet have grown by 57% in a single year… What does that tell you?

Unboxing videos have become one of the best types of user-generated content for brands to use. Consumers get excited to see people unpacking their items and showing them off. It lets these individuals know what they would expect when ordering these same items or other types of items that your brand sells. In addition, the unboxing experience gives consumers insight into how a product looks, feels, smells, and so much more.

You can take your preferred approach to this content to reap the advantages that come along with viral unboxing, including an increase in sales.

1. Simple unboxing

Simple unboxing can gain and keep the average consumer's attention. The video may include a person talking about the packaging details before pulling out each of the different items inside the box or container. Most will briefly discuss each product, including the purpose of that product and what it can do before moving on to the next item in the box.

An excellent example of this?

Consumers who unpack items purchased from beauty brands. A makeup kit might include lipstick and other essentials, such as foundation, concealer, and blush. Consumers often show swatches, talk about the pigment, or even apply a bit of makeup to see how it looks on them. If it looks good, consumers will want to buy it because they will want to experience the quality of those products firsthand after seeing the person in the video talking about them.

Need some inspiration?

Popular backpack brand Cabaïa is benefiting tremendously from user-generated content, including viral unboxings. Using this content in their advertisements, they've gained 30K likes and thousands of shares in a single advertisement. And why is that? UGC-based ads receive 4x higher click-through rates while costing significantly less.

What are they doing right?

If you check out the video, you will see an enthusiastic customer opening the package containing her new Cabaïa bag. The video includes a small bit of text that says, “It’s here 😍." Naturally, this is going to capture someone's interest. Viewers will pay attention to the video within the first few seconds of coming across it.

Next, the person in the video continues to gain viewers' interest by talking about the neat surprises in the box, including a thank you note from the company, which shows they appreciate their customers. She manages to get to the point and even includes the benefits of the product within a short-form video that consumers can understand.

Want to make your mark and get unboxings like this?

Include a custom letter to every parcel sent to customers with a call to action that encourages them to share their unboxing on social media while tagging your brand for a special discount! You will get plenty of people ready and willing to make the kind of content your e-commerce needs to thrive and survive. It won’t be long before you have all the unboxing content you want and need for your brand.

2. TikTok trend unboxing

The TikTok unboxing trend has become incredibly popular within the past several months, with more consumers getting in on the fun and creating videos of their own. With this trend, customers who've bought from brands film videos of themselves going over the details of the products from their purchases, usually emphasizing at least three of those products. They will also mention how they wish they had found the brand sooner and why.

If it's a makeup brand, the user might say, "I wish I would've known about this brand months ago because the foundation is a perfect match with my skin complexion! Oh, and the rest of their products are so high-quality that I love them."

Saying different types of things like this can encourage other consumers to buy from that brand. While the verbiage may change from one consumer to the next, the idea behind the unboxing is the same – it gets more people interested in the brand and its products.

Most consumers following this trend go into detail about what they love most about these products. And the consumers love hearing about it. If they think someone is relatable enough, they might feel like buying those same products would benefit them too.

And how can packaging help you get more UGC?

Packaging can help you get more user-generated content because of the impression it makes. If someone begins opening the packaging and loves all the little details and the effort that went into it, they will naturally feel more inclined to pull out their phone and record a video of themselves unboxing everything.

Bigblue makes it easier for brands like From Future to provide a one-of-a-kind, premium unboxing experience with custom-tailored packaging designed to meet your brand's needs.

Every brand has its own style, so it's important to express that style through packaging. It will set your brand apart from others and help you add something of value to the unboxing experience. In addition, you can make it even more enjoyable by providing your customers with special offers, including coupon codes and discounts for creating unboxing videos that they will use to make even more purchases. What brand wouldn't want that?

3 examples of viral unboxings

Check out how some of these incredible brands are getting the viral unboxings they need to boost sales.

1. Dermalogica

Dermalogica offers a fully enhanced and unique unboxing experience powered by Bigblue that has helped the brand increase its sales revenue. Altering their unboxing experience to provide something unique and spectacular helped boost buyer satisfaction by 94%.‍

2. From Future

FROM FUTURE started offering its customers a unique unboxing experience that enabled them to get their high-quality cashmere pieces in pristine condition, thus resulting in an 89% increase in buyer satisfaction within a little less than months!

3. Lashilé

Lashilé Beauty has a special section on its website dedicated to reviews from customers. It encourages customers to provide videos and photos of their unboxing experience for others to see, which in turn helps the brand gain more attention and be viewed as a more authentic brand

When operating as an international brand that sells to consumers in the UK, it's vital to understand the rules you must follow and the requirements you need to reach to begin shipping products to consumers successfully. Choosing the right strategy for your logistics in the market is crucial for your success in the country. Why? UK consumers are extremely sensitive to the delivery experience, and 55% will abandon their shopping cart if the delivery time is too long or the delivery fees are too expensive.

If you’re not compliant, it will become difficult for you to sell to UK consumers or even attract their business in the first place. The good news? When you put effort into finding out what it takes to sell to an international market, you can provide an incredible delivery experience that leaves a lasting impression on the consumers.

With that in mind, you're probably wondering which shipping method is best for your business model: international or local. The truth is that either option can work, but there are some things you will need to know beforehand to help you decide on the method you plan to use to reach UK consumers.

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The British are very sensitive to the delivery experience

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One of the first things you NEED to understand is that the British care about the delivery experience they will have when buying from different businesses. 70％ of consumers in the UK will feel more enticed to buy from a company if they know they won't have to worry about paying additional fees or dealing with costly taxes at checkout.

Because the British are so sensitive to the delivery experience, prioritising affordable, fast shipping is the most effective way to make a good impression on them. If you're leaving a better impression on the consumers, you have a greater chance of getting them to buy from your business again because they will look forward to getting their items on time. 

When focusing on meeting their expectations, you will need to choose between local shipping in the UK and international shipping, where you ship directly from your location to your UK consumers.

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Mastering the steps to ship from abroad to the UK

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You can begin shipping to consumers in the UK when you've received your GB EORI number and GB VAT, which are must-haves when importing goods throughout England.

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Ship from abroad to the UK

When it comes to shipping abroad to the UK, you may think it's a feasible solution. And while it's optional, there are pros and cons to it that you need to be aware of before making your decision.

Choosing international shipping can help you gauge the level of interest you can gain from UK consumers. It's a great way to see if you have enough customers wanting to support your business and purchase your products before you take additional steps to invest in a UK warehouse. But while you can use it to get an idea of UK consumers' overall interest in your business, that is one of the few benefits of international shipping.

Unfortunately, international shipping leads to significantly longer delivery times because your products need to go through customs. Even if they pay extra, they may still need to wait weeks to receive their goods from you. In addition, your packages take longer to get to customers because they have to travel even further.

Believe it or not, international shipping can take up to 10 business days (or LONGER). However, customers can receive their items the next day when you're shipping from the UK to UK consumers.

The 4 fundamental steps

No matter what you decide, there are a few basic steps that you must follow to prepare your e-commerce for shipping to consumers in the UK. These steps include:

1. Create your account on the UK Government Gateway.
2. Acquiring a GB VAT number from the Government Gateway account. Before submitting any tax declarations to HM Revenue and Customs, you need to have this number. (Keep in mind it will take a minimum of eight weeks and up to 12 weeks to get this number, so apply for it as soon as possible.)
3. Apply for the GB EORI. You must have this if you want to import goods into the UK. Suppose you have yet to obtain a government portal ID. In that case, you can create your portal ID when completing your application.
4. Following the mandatory administrative declarations to remain compliant while shipping your items to consumers throughout the UK.

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The documents attached to each order

When relying on Bigblue, you can generate all must-have documents automatically without worrying about taking additional steps.

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Mastering the requirements for shipping locally in the UK

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If you've decided it's better to go with local shipping because you can lower shipping fees and reduce overall expenses for the consumers, you're making a good move. Of course, this means achieving the necessary paperwork, but it's worth it if you can provide faster delivery speeds, ultimately improving the delivery experience for your consumers.

When shipping from the UK, you can provide custom-tailored experiences for consumers who typically can receive their online orders quickly. While this benefits consumers, shipping locally is also better for the environment and can help you save 101% on shipping-related expenses.

Now that you're more aware of the expectations of UK consumers and what they want when ordering online from companies that operate outside their country, you may be ready to go for local shipping instead of international shipping. With many advantages, such as speedy shipping, low costs, and a more positive environmental impact, you can earn a better reputation among UK consumers, which will help your brand flourish over the years.

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To master the requirements for shipping locally in the UK, you need to get your GB EORI number. If you have this number, you can legally sell throughout the UK. However, registration is easier than it sounds and is something you can achieve in a day! It typically takes roughly 13 days to set up a company in England, whereas it often takes up to 32 days in other European countries.

After you receive your GB VAT number, be sure to send a copy of your VAT declaration. Keep in mind that you must report your VAT quarterly. You must also create a Making Tax Digital (MTD) report each year if you've earned a minimum of £85,000. 

Many resources are available to help you with any concerns over tax declarations, including multiple MTD-enabled software providers. Just like the United States has its own digital tax compliance solutions, so does the UK, and you can use these solutions to your advantage to stay on top of all things tax-related for your business.

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Choosing the right carrier

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Although choosing to ship locally is one crucial decision, there are other things you need to prioritise. You will also need to select a suitable carrier to help you deliver your goods to the customers. Always research the different carriers available when shipping to UK consumers to ensure you're working with a reliable one that will deliver your products as quickly as possible and improve the overall delivery experience.

84% of UK consumers agree that the shipping carrier used impacts their decision to order from e-commerce businesses. When British consumers see costly delivery fees, they typically leave the website and look elsewhere for the items they want or need. And most of these consumers want to ensure their goods are getting to them within a reasonable timeframe. They're less likely to buy from your business if they see that shipping will take a few weeks.

So which carrier is the best? 55% of consumers in the UK prefer Royal Mail because the logistics company has a reputation for providing fast and convenient delivery experiences to consumers. They also prefer UPS when ordering express delivery to ensure their packages arrive swiftly.

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Importing your merchandise stock into the UK

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It helps to know how to import your merchandise stock into the UK. Any stock imports must have customs declarations. The good news? You don't have to constantly clear customs on every order when shipping products from a warehouse in the UK to consumers in the same country. Also be mindful of fashion labelling regulations and especially strict cosmetics label regulations.

You can keep your products in Bigblue's UK warehouse while having quick and easy access to the most accurate, up-to-date information on inventory. Being able to track your inventory comes in handy because you will know when you're beginning to run low on certain items. Ultimately, shipping more out to the UK warehouse to continue fulfilling orders for your customers without any additional delays.

Local shipping is the best delivery method when catering to UK consumers. These consumers have high expectations and will want to receive their products from your business as quickly as possible, even in as little as 24 hours from the time of making an initial order. While this may seem nearly impossible to do, it's a goal you can accomplish when you have items fully stocked in a UK warehouse and select the right carrier to work with to deliver your goods.

Would you like to begin using user-generated content to your advantage? It's an excellent way to increase your brand's visibility, boost awareness, and receive more web traffic that converts. Several e-commerce brands are utilizing this convenient and impactful marketing method to see some of the most incredible results.

Gymshark has built a name for itself on social media, honing in on the power of platforms like Instagram and TikTok to connect with its audience and build a massive cult-like following. Supporters of Gymshark love the products and are willing to create and share content using the brand's products for their followers to see, which has helped the company grow and expand tremendously in recent years.

Creating challenges and encouraging consumers to share their content has helped the company receive more than 250 million views on TikTok alone! The sportswear and accessories company is now valued at £1.2 billion.

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Many brands are following the same path, utilizing user-generated content to help spread awareness of their brand, gain followers, and leave a lasting impact that boosts sales and overall success. For example, Aerie uses hashtags to encourage its customers to share photos and videos of them wearing and using products the company sells. One hashtag, #AerieREALPositivity, has over two billion views. This approach has helped the brand reach targeted audiences and increase conversion and sales.

Other brands using user-generated content to their advantage? Fashion Nova, Levi's, Rare Beauty, and Rhode Skin. These are only a handful of the brands getting in on the opportunity to spread content that connects with the consumers better than ever before.

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The massive impact of user-generated content for D2C brands

1 - User-generated content advertisements cost D2C brands 50% less than the average digital advertisement. You can save money while using user-generated content as an opportunity to advertise your brand and the products you sell to consumers instead of relying on traditional advertisements that don’t convert.

2 -  78% of consumers are willing to share brand-related content if it helps them connect on a deeper level with their peers. Encourage customers to create this kind of shareable content by enhancing the unboxing experience and providing excellent customer service. It will make a difference.

3 - 69% of consumers feel a sense of fulfillment when creating user-generated content and believe their content can make a difference. Be clear about what your products can do for the consumers. If they know and understand, they may be more willing to share content they've created of them using the products for those reasons.

4 - 45% of people in the United States have uploaded pictures and videos to social media accounts within the past three years. Consider setting up a hashtag campaign to get your customers to share their pictures and videos to different social media accounts! The added exposure will benefit your business.

5 - 90% of consumers will make their buying decision based on user-generated content. Make user-generated content for your business easier to find. If consumers can find the content with ease, they may feel more inclined to buy from your business, which will boost sales.

6 - 81% of consumers don't mind paying more or waiting a bit longer for shipping when buying products based on user-generated content. While it helps to ship at faster speed, genuinely good reviews of your business will make the consumers much more patient and willing to spend the amount of money you’re charging for the items you sell.

7 - A staggering 97% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 believe user-generated content heavily influences their overall buying decisions. Because this type of content can have such an impact, it’s important to start collecting videos and photos uploaded by consumers and resharing them or even including the content on your website for consumers to see.

8 - 73% of consumers feel more confident buying from a brand if the brand is using user-generated content to display their products and how they work. Collect videos of consumers showing how they use your products or describing what they like best about the items. Place this content on your site to encourage consumers to complete that purchase.

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9 - 61% of shoppers feel more inclined to engage with brands because of the different types of user-generated content they see online. Make your presence known with user-generated content on many platforms. Don’t just settle for one social media platform. Share the content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

10 - More than 93% of consumers will read reviews before buying a product from any brand. When sending products to customers, encourage them to leave a review. You can even entice them with a discount code for a review. Of course, don’t push for a five-star review. Let them decide that on their own.

11 - 50% of people learn about new products online from friends, family, and acquaintances. Use this to your advantage to get more attention for your brand.

12 - 85% of consumers believe that user-generated content has more of an influence than content created by the brand itself. While you still need to create content as the brand owner, focus more on taking a user-generated content approach.

13 - Up to 61% of consumers have made buying decisions based on user-generated photos posted to social platforms like Instagram. Once again, encourage consumers to use hashtags when they post this type of content. It makes it easier for others to find it.

14 - 93% of consumers agree that user-generated content helps them when making buying decisions. If you have more user-generated content shared on social media sites, you can boost sales and conversion rates. More people will want to buy from your brand.

15 - Millennials spend roughly 30% of media time interacting with user-generated content across different platforms. Make an effort to connect with this audience because of how much time they’re spending using their phones, laptops, and other electronic devices.

16 - 90% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand if they feel the brand is authentic. Create genuine content to connect with your audience. If they feel they can relate, they won’t mind buying from your brand, and that means they might even create content on your products in the future.

17 - 84% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations over any other recommendations. With more peer recommendations about your brand online, you may begin seeing an increase in the total number of sales received each day.

18 - Consumers are impacted by user-generated content 9.8x more than influencer-generated content when making a buying decision. Although connecting with influencers and having them provide reviews and tutorials on your products can make a difference, it’s the user-generated content that is truly helping consumers make important buying decisions.

19 - Millennials are the most significant contributors to user-generated content, contributing to up to 70% of this content. Take the time to understand your audience. Learn more about what millennials like and dislike about the buying experience to appease them because they’re the ones making most of the user-generated content.

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20 - Product pages containing Q&As have a 447% higher conversion rate than those that don’t. Need proof? Take a look at Amazon's product pages, and how they use them to clear out any questions and objections to buy. Q&As and real answers from buyers are public and accessible for everyone to read.

21 - Millennials trust user-generated content 50% more than any content generated by the brand itself. Because they trust this content over anything else, it’s important to have plenty of it. You can get more user-generated content simply by providing incredible service to your customers.

22 - 74% of consumers utilize social media to help them make buying decisions. If you’re not already active on social media, now is the time to create accounts for your brand. You’re missing out on the opportunity to connect, share valuable information, and get more people to buy from you.

23 - Over 50% of consumers would prefer if brands encouraged them to curate content by telling them what types of content would be best to create. Consider including a cute note in your packaging that encourages consumers to create content, such as product descriptions and tutorials to help out other consumers. Giving them fresh ideas will increase your chances of getting the user-generated content you need.

24 - The average consumer spends a little more than five hours exposed to user-generated content per day. Because so many consumers are exposed to user-generated content for hours on end, you need to develop a content strategy that helps these individuals find your brand.

25 - Incorporating user-generated content can help brands boost engagement by up to 50%. If you’re interested in boosting engagement, the key is to start incorporating user-generated content into everything you do. Share it on your website, your Facebook account, TikTok, and many other platforms to broaden your reach.

26 - 48% of consumers agree that user-generated content helps them discover new products. With consumers coming across products on social media at random, you could potentially reel in a bunch of new customers simply by having user-generated content posted on platforms for them to find.

27 - Content shared by employees of a brand can receive 8x more engagement than content shared directly by the company on its social media platforms. If you have employees working for your brand and they have a following, sharing your brand’s content can boost engagement and benefit your business even more.

28 - 87% of brands are using user-generated content for the free added exposure. Make sure you’re one of those brands getting in on the opportunity to receive more exposure. When users create content on your brand, you’re essentially getting FREE advertisement.

29 - Advertisements containing user-generated content receive 73% more positive comments from consumers. Create advertisements that include user-generated content you’ve found online. People will feel less irritated by the advertisement and will be more likely to engage with it, leaving positive comments instead of negative ones.

30 - User-generated content leads to a 29% higher web conversion rate. Have a special spot on your website where you will display some of the user-generated content people have created. It can boost your web conversion rates and help you make more sales.

As a business owner, one of the things that may be most important to you is your CRO, otherwise known as Conversion Rate Optimization. But how can you optimize and boost conversion rates to get more consumers who discover your brand on social media? Through the power of user-generated content on social media.

➡️ Gymshark, the top-rated company known for its superior fitness apparel and accessories, experienced a compound sales increase of a massive 193% for three years in a row between 2013 and 2016. But that's not all. The company has essentially built a cult surrounding its brand by honing in on influencer marketing and user-generated content. The company promotes customer reviews on product pages and even has "GS Family" Fridays, where it posts some of its customers to their stories on Instagram. The brand has 3.9 million followers on TikTok and regularly posts user-generated content that includes consumers wearing Gymshark’s apparel while completing their workout routines.

➡️ Fashion Nova earned itself a top spot in the fashion industry, capitalizing on social media and the opportunity to partner with influencers. The fast fashion brand has since amassed a following of over 15.5 million on Instagram alone. It has since expanded to TikTok, gaining 3.8 million followers while regularly posting video content from major influencers who support the brand and its products.

While you can post user-generated content anywhere, including the website consumers will visit to view and purchase products, one of the best places for it is TikTok. There are over 750 million active TikTok users across the globe, meaning your chances of reaching a massive audience through this social media platform are incredible.

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1. Unboxing videos posted to social media have increased by 57% in a single year…

So, what are they, and why are they leaving such a lasting impression on consumers? Unboxing videos include footage of consumers or influencers opening their orders in front of the camera, showing people what they received. In most of these videos, the consumers are excitedly talking about the quality of the products and the packaging.

Unboxing videos fall under the category of user-generated content. The content resonates with the audience for a few reasons. Not only is it created by someone who may look like them, act like them, or even have the same preferences, but it also provides them with more details about products they may be considering buying. In addition, there is something exciting about watching people open packages while showing off the items and talking about how they smell, feel, and work.

Because consumers LOVE these videos, more of them are creating this kind of content on their own without brands even asking for it. But it works in favor of the brands because they receive more exposure and can boost sales.

💙 Bigblue Tip: Lashilé Beauty places its user-generated reviews on its site to give shoppers an idea of what previous customers think of their brand. Want to do the same? The Loox App makes it easy to display video and photo reviews on your product pages like Lashilé.

🔥 Dermalogica’s unique unboxing experience, designed with help from Bigblue, has enabled the company to receive more than 155 million views on TikTok alone.

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2. Product benefit 

🥳 70% of consumers watch UGC reviews to learn more about products before buying.

⬆️ 92% of consumers believe UGC can help them determine if a product is worth purchasing.

Source: Social Media Today

The key is to provide details on the product's benefit to let consumers know what it can do for them and why they should buy it. It's one of the most important details worth discussing during an unboxing. If the average consumer is watching an unboxing video, they will expect the person behind the camera to explain some of the advantages of using the product while also going over how it works. After all, most people want to know what makes a product special enough to spend money on before they head over to the website themselves and purchase.

You can get user-generated content that goes over a product’s benefits by:

• Making the how-to-use instructions clear for consumers
• Providing an enhanced unboxing experience
• Offering high-quality products that offer numerous advantages
• Letting consumers know what these products can do for them before they purchase

When consumers know how to use the products and how these products can help them, they may feel more inclined to create video content showing others their results and discussing the steps involved in using these products.

➡️ FROM FUTURE delivers a unique unboxing experience for consumers to enjoy when receiving their merchandise. Making simple adjustments, such as custom packaging, branded tracking emails, and an easy-to-use return portal helped the company increase buyer satisfaction by 89% in less than four months.

➡️ Cosmetics brand Merci Handy built a name for itself by creating fun, relatable content on TikTok, including behind-the-scenes footage that consumers love. The brand has since gained a following of over 260,000!

3. Transform FAQs into an evergreen source of content and reassurance elements

⭐ User-generated TikTok videos resonate with consumers' emotions 22% more than content created by brands on TikTok. In addition, the UGC content is nearly five times more effective at connecting with consumers and getting them to make purchases than the average advertisement on Facebook.

Source: UGC Shop

✨ Product pages containing Q&As have a 447% higher conversion rate than those that don’t.

Source: The Shopper Experience Index, Bazaarvoice

Strengthen the trust between your brand and the consumers by transforming some of the most frequently asked questions into evergreen content that reassures the consumers. Providing a certain level of reassurance will make them feel more inclined to buy from your business. If people have to ask the same questions about your business, it means you need to explain the details better, so work on creating content that answers these questions and gives people a better idea of what to expect from your brand.

Have you noticed the TikTok Q&A bubble on a user's profile page? Even if you've seen it, you might not know how to utilize it. You can use this feature to provide consumers with access to frequently asked questions and answers, which will prevent confusion and potentially boost sales.

💙 Bigblue Tip: Pull inspiration from commonly asked questions, using the answers to create relatable advertisements that provide users with valuable information. It's an easy and efficient way to explain the details of your product, what it can do for others, and how they can use it to their advantage.

4. Provide the viewer with three reasons to Buy Your Product

Value proposition refers to anything that stands out and can capture the audience's attention. In this case, when following TikTok UGC trends, you would want to provide the following information:

1. What Makes Your Product Great? Explain in detail the things that set your product apart from the rest. Let the consumers know why your product is great.
2. Why Should Consumers Buy the Product? Once you’ve explained what makes the product great, don’t hesitate to explain everything, including what it does, how it works, and what’s in it! These small details add up and can truly make or break the experience for consumers.
3. What Value Does It Add to a Consumer’s Life? Connect with consumers on a deeper level by going over the value your product brings to them. What are some of the features of your products that make them worth buying and using? You would know this better than anyone, so be sure to touch on this in the content created!

✨ If you type "Three Reasons to Buy" in the TikTok search feature, you will see dozens of videos created by users. These videos typically discuss some of the best reasons to buy nearly everything, including properties, vehicles, beauty products, and more. Take the same approach when touching on the top three reasons any consumer should buy your product!

‍5. Things TikTok made me buy

🤩 49% of TikTok users claim to have bought a product after seeing reviews or promotional video content on the popular social media app.

Source: World Finance

Perhaps one of the biggest trends on TikTok is the "TikTok Made Me Buy It" content created by users and social media influencers. Many have wondered if this means 2022 was the year of shoppable media, with more people being influenced to buy based on video content viewed on TikTok.

The great thing about this approach? You don't even necessarily have to say much of anything. Of course, this depends on the products your brand offers. But in some user-generated TikTok Made Me Buy It videos, users have shown how a product works while pairing the content with a viral sound, such as a snippet of Ariana Grande's "Just Like Magic" song.

Having just ONE person with somewhat of a following on TikTok post your products using this trend could lead to a viral video that boost sales and conversion rates.💙 Bigblue Tip: 6.1 billion people have viewed the #TikTokMadeMeBuy hashtag. Use this hashtag to your advantage to get more views for the products you sell, with more consumers taking the time to create user-generated content and post it to social media to follow the trend.

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