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February 12, 2025
Guest Writer, Bizrate Insights
In ecommerce, engagement translates directly into sales. A recent Bizrate Insights survey of 529 customers found that 91% of shoppers engage with user-generated content (UGC) before purchasing.
By adding opportunities for interaction to your UGC, you’re encouraging a conversation. And like any good conversation, the more engaging it is, the more likely people are to stick around and hear what you have to say.
So, how do you create meaningful engagement? Let’s explore various strategies for leveraging interactive UGC, particularly in product reviews.
Interactive UGC encourages customers to actively participate in content creation and discussion by sharing their opinions rather than being passive customers.
Take customer reviews, for instance. Reviews have come a long way from basic star ratings; interactive features like ratable reviews and Q&A sections are growing more popular. And for good reason — when customers can interact with reviews in some way, it leads to increased time on site and, ultimately, improved conversion rates. Statista recently reported that visitors who actively engaged with UGC in some way experienced a 102.4% increase in conversion.
Here are 11 strategies to help you create a dynamic, interactive review experience.
Q&A sections are an excellent way for potential buyers to interact with current customers for real product insights. Our survey revealed that 59% of customers want the ability to ask questions to other reviewers. Plus, it’s been found that Q&A sections have the most powerful impact on conversion rates out of all UGC types.
Not every review holds the same value. The most effective ones speak to an individual shopper’s wants and needs. A review voting system with upvote/downvote buttons or those flagged as “helpful” improves the online shopping experience by filtering out less valuable feedback. When paired with sorting options based on “most helpful” votes, this can be an extremely effective way to ensure top-quality reviews are easily accessible to your customers.
Enabling comments on reviews allows for real-time customer interaction and personalized feedback. According to our survey, 46% of shoppers want to see likes or comment features in their UGC experience. Comments also allow review authors to respond to potential concerns or questions, adding clarification when necessary. This contributes to a more transparent experience for shoppers, who tend to trust their peers more than brands.
Most customers don’t have the time or desire to sift through hundreds of reviews looking for the answer to their questions. Unsurprisingly, 37% of our survey respondents desire sorting and filtering options. The ability to filter reviews by features like star rating, most recent, or most helpful makes it easy for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and in the world of ecommerce, it’s also worth a lot of trust. According to our survey, 51% of shoppers say photos and videos make a review more trustworthy. By allowing customers to upload visual proof with their reviews, you’re providing potential buyers with confirmation of your product’s quality. You can also offer sorting options as an easy way to display reviews accompanied by photos or videos.
In a world where fake reviews are becoming all too common, customer trust is everything. Verified Purchase badges are a simple yet effective way to gain that trust. This feature isn’t just a gimmick — 35% of those surveyed say they find reviews with Verified Purchase badges more trustworthy. Again, this is another useful sorting category to include in review filtering options.
The person behind the review can be just as important as the review itself. Our survey found 31% of shoppers want to see reviewer profiles or photos. Adding a face (or at least a name) to product reviews allows other customers to see a reviewer’s history and reputation. This kind of transparency builds trust with other potential buyers. Plus, allowing customers to create profiles encourages repeat brand interactions and long-term engagement.
Why keep a good review to yourself? Social media integration allows customers to share reviews on their favorite platforms, turning your satisfied customers into brand ambassadors. This not only increases your brand’s visibility but also brings in new customers who might not have found you otherwise. It’s the online version of word-of-mouth marketing.
When gathering feedback, it’s best practice to make the review process easy for your customers. Send them a personalized review request post-purchase and offer user-friendly review submission forms with helpful prompts to boost quality content. And, if you’re looking for easy ways to gather more customer feedback, Bizrate Insights offers a Product Reviews solution that comes standard with all our plans at no extra cost.
Customers like seeing a high review count. A recent survey found that 23% of consumers think a product should ideally have 500 reviews or more. But they also don’t want to read all those reviews. A review search bar can help shoppers find the most relevant content by searching for a keyword or phrase. Power Reviews found a review search bar to have a powerful impact on conversion, with those using it converting at a rate 271.9% higher than average. You may also want to highlight frequently mentioned words or phrases in reviews, allowing customers insight into review content at a glance.
Engagement doesn’t have to end when a customer leaves your site. Real-time notifications can alert customers when their questions are answered or someone comments on their review. For top contributors, getting notified when new questions are asked can encourage even more interaction, turning casual reviewers into active community members.
Our survey found that 71% of shoppers are very or somewhat likely to share their experiences or reviews online. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask — recent data found that in the last year, 69% of consumers recall leaving a review after being prompted by a brand.
Of course, interactive UGC features can also open the door to negative comments or abuse. On the surface, negative reviews may seem detrimental, but they can actually have a positive impact. Still, it’s essential to have moderation systems in place to manage potentially abusive content while also ensuring customer data privacy and security. For additional tips, check out Smart Ways for Ecommerce Businesses to Respond to Rude Online Reviews.
Interactive UGC features are powerful tools for boosting engagement, building customer trust, and driving sales. Want to learn more about how UGC can transform your ecommerce business? Check out our Shopper Insights Brief for more details, or schedule a demo with Bizrate Insights to see these features in action.
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