And this trend is expected to flip the future of product display pages with content and opinions from real consumers already replacing professional product information. The need for authenticity is only getting stronger. 53% of consumers say UGC makes them more confident in purchase decisions, according to our survey of over 7,000 global shoppers. Ratings, reviews, Q&As, and customer photos are what consumers are turning to first to make buying decisions, and it inspires them at every step of the path to purchase.

So what can you do to build confidence that you have what they want? The answer again is UGC. It’s crunch time, and they want to make the best choice. They’re aware of your brand, have been brought to your site, and are now evaluating whether to purchase from you or a competitor. Alternative evaluationĪt this point, shoppers are making a list and checking it twice. UGC is also a way to authentically build trust (there’s that T word again) with shoppers, as 79% of consumers say online reviews have as much of an impact as recommendations from friends or family. So when your shoppers are actually the ones creating the content, your brand is more likely to pop up first in the search. Search engines reward sites that talk in the same language as customers. That’s why most brands and retailers turn to user-generated content (UGC), which is any content (reviews, images, Q&As) created by unpaid individuals rather than a brand.Ĭustomer ratings and reviews get your brand seen and help usher people to your site through keyword-rich and relevant content. Commerce today is always-on and consumer-to-consumer orientated, where consumers are your best salespeople. How consumers search and what information they’ll need is based on how much they already know, and what details they find from fellow shoppers. And given that 70% of shoppers use Instagram for product discovery, you’ll want to focus on your Instagram SEO too. In this stage in the consumer buying process, it’s imperative to optimize your brand or retail site for search engine optimization (SEO), so you show up in search results. This is where casual browsers are inspired to become buyers. And so their search begins, predominantly on search engines or social media. Once consumers are aware they have a want, they’re now ready to find out how to fulfill it. So much so, that 82% of shoppers say they’d avoid using a brand again if they lost trust. Especially in today’s world where consumers don’t just want to shop, they want to support businesses that reflect their own values and beliefs. You want your target market to already know and trust your business.

A want now exists.Īt this stage, building brand awareness is key. ordering takeout because you just saw an Instagram ad for pizza).Īnd the causes of these stimuli can be functional (purchasing a new computer because the old one doesn’t have enough processing power for Zoom calls) or social (buying new Zoom shirts to look good on your call). This recognition can happen because of internal or external stimuli (grocery shopping because you need food for dinner vs. Need recognitionĪ sale officially begins when a customer realizes they have a need or a want. We’ll discuss ways to optimize the buyer journey and ultimately boost conversion in today’s commerce landscape. Let’s take a look at each of the six stages of the consumer buying process.

Six social processes for purchasing