{"id":27266,"date":"2021-11-02T13:06:34","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T18:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/?p=27266"},"modified":"2022-03-09T10:46:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T16:46:17","slug":"create-ugc-program-grocery-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/create-ugc-program-grocery-products\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Winning UGC Program for Grocery Products (and Why You Need One)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There was a time when the only way to stock up on food, beverages and other essentials was to browse the grocery store aisles. But that\u2019s no longer the case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the brick-and-mortar grocery store is still a viable option. But today, consumers have access to a large (and growing) number of digital grocery shopping options — including pickup and delivery from local grocery stores, online-only services (such as Thrive Market), meal boxes, and third party services like Instacart that pair consumers with a personal shopper. And that\u2019s just to name a few.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online grocery services have experienced steady growth; however, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that growth went into overdrive. <\/span>According to eMarketer<\/span><\/a>, online grocery sales reached $95.82 billion in 2020, which was a 52% year-over-year increase. And <\/span>our own survey of grocery shoppers<\/span><\/a> found that 73% of respondents said they had purchased groceries online in the most recent 90 days, compared to 17% who said this was the case in 2017.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\tGrowth of Online Shopping<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tHave you or anyone in your household made an online grocery purchase in the last 3 months?<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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And it seems shopping online for groceries isn\u2019t just a passing fad that\u2019ll go away once the pandemic is behind us. Quite the opposite; eMarketer predicts that online grocery sales will reach $187.7 billion by 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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While the <\/span>places<\/span><\/i> consumers are shopping for groceries are changing, so too is the information they\u2019re using to make purchase decisions. Notably, grocery shoppers are relying more on user-generated content, including reviews, photos and videos — whether they\u2019re shopping online or in a brick-and-mortar store.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grocery shopping behavior is undergoing a massive shift, which means strategies that were effective just two years ago may no longer cut it. Grocery brands and retailers must adapt to changing shopping behaviors. <\/span>And one component to this is to make UGC a key component of their digital and in-store strategies.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll explore why UGC matters for grocery, as well as how to build an effective UGC program that helps you attract and convert grocery shoppers — wherever they choose to shop for your products. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why UGC Matters for Grocery Brands and Retailers\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before we cover the steps of creating a best-in-class UGC program for grocery, let\u2019s take a step back to explore <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> UGC matters for grocery products in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

By now, it\u2019s well understood that consumers depend on reviews and other types of UGC when shopping for just about anything. This is especially true when consumers are shopping online and don\u2019t have the opportunity to see and experience a product before making a purchase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers shopping for groceries are no exception.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Grocery Shoppers Seek Out UGC\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our research found that the vast majority (82%, to be exact) of online grocery shoppers read reviews at least occasionally; 42% do so always or regularly. In addition, 36% value user-generated imagery when shopping online for groceries, and 16% find user-submitted videos to be useful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Shoppers are actively seeking out UGC for grocery products. If they can\u2019t find that content on your website, they\u2019re likely to look elsewhere. And if they do, they probably won\u2019t return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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UGC Boosts Conversion for Grocery Products\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Collecting and displaying reviews for your grocery products is also a powerful way to boost your bottom line. That\u2019s because a lot of consumers are more likely to try out a grocery product they haven\u2019t used before if they\u2019re able to read reviews for it. This is true whether they\u2019re shopping online or in a brick-and-mortar store. Our survey found that 78% of online grocery shoppers are more likely to purchase an unknown grocery item they\u2019re considering if there are customer reviews for it. 64% say this is the case when they\u2019re shopping in-store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\tReviews are Essential for Grocery Shoppers<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tof online grocery shoppers read reviews at least occasionally.<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tof online grocery shoppers are more likely to buy a new-to-them grocery item if there are reviews available.<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tof in-store shoppers are more likely to purchase an unknown grocery item if there are customer reviews for it. <\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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UGC has the power to attract grocery shoppers — and increase the likelihood that they\u2019ll make a purchase. Collecting this content is a must for grocery brands and retailers. Those that fail to leverage reviews and other types of UGC are quite literally leaving money on the table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to Build a UGC Program that Attracts and Converts Modern Grocery Shoppers<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Modern grocery brands and retailers must incorporate ratings and reviews into their digital and in-store strategies if they expect to attract and convert shoppers. But building a UGC program can seem like a tall order.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is, it doesn\u2019t have to be.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a 8 step framework to help you start building your program. It\u2019s based on our extensive experience helping top brands and retailers (both inside and outside grocery) maximize the impact of UGC — as well as our most recent research into the grocery shopping habits of modern consumers.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Establish Your Goals<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before you start building your UGC program, you\u2019ve first got to take a step back and determine your goals. In other words, you\u2019ve got to decide what it is you hope to accomplish with UGC. After all, without a clear goal, it\u2019s impossible to measure success.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, your top objectives might be to drive more traffic to your product pages — and increase conversion on those pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re just getting started with UGC, your goal might be to achieve a certain level of review coverage. Review coverage is the percentage of products in your catalog with at least one review. So, for example, you might aim for 50% of your products to have at least one review or whatever makes sense for you depending on your UGC maturity level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been collecting reviews for a while, your goal might be to increase the volume of reviews for certain products — for example, those with a high volume of traffic, but low conversion. Because UGC is especially important for new products, another goal could be to generate x number of reviews for five products you\u2019re releasing within the next 12 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, UGC isn\u2019t limited to ratings and reviews. If you value visual content (and you should!), you might make a goal to increase the volume of user-generated photos and videos you collect, as this content is proven to boost conversion. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Create Your UGC Collection Game Plan\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you want to get great results from your UGC program, the first step is to generate plenty of this conversion-boosting content. This seems simple enough, but there\u2019s actually a lot to consider when developing an effective collection strategy for grocery products. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ask for UGC from Your Grocery Shoppers \n<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A lot of grocery shoppers are willing to write reviews, but they won\u2019t do so automatically. Instead, they need a friendly reminder. The best way to provide it is to send a post purchase email, asking the shopper to submit reviews (or visual content) for the products they\u2019ve recently purchased. If the first post purchase email doesn\u2019t work, don\u2019t hesitate to send a second. <\/span>A recent survey<\/span><\/a> found that nearly a third of consumers need to be asked to leave a rating and review at least twice before they\u2019ll actually do it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Make it Easy for Shoppers to Submit UGC <\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Once a shopper has clicked through the post purchase email, it\u2019s important that the process for submitting UGC is easy to complete. If they get hung up on a step, they\u2019re likely to abandon the process altogether.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Consider your goals when setting up your UGC submission form. For example, if your goal is to generate more photos and videos, consider asking for that content first — and allow shoppers to submit it without any accompanying, written review. However, if reviews are your top priority, make sure you ask for that content first.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Also, remember that online grocery shoppers typically purchase several products in a single transaction. So make it as easy as possible for those shoppers to write reviews for multiple products from a single page. If you require them to navigate to a separate page to write each review, they won\u2019t do it.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Offer an Incentive\n<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you\u2019re not generating as much content as you\u2019d like, consider sweetening the deal with an incentive. A few incentives that are especially enticing to shoppers include:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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