Visual Reviews^® are one ecommerce site feature that has an impressive impact on customers’ purchase decisions. Visual Reviews^® are customer-generated photos or videos used as product reviews. They can stand alone or be attached to a text review. Visual Reviews^® are incredibly effective endorsements because they allow potential buyers to see the product in an authentic way. Someone just like them bought this product and loved it enough to take and share a photo or video. That’s much more persuasive than brand-generated images, which customers perceive as less trustworthy.

From Conversion Rates To Competition, Here Are 7 Important Stats About Visual Reviews^®

1.34% of ecommerce sites don’t allow customers to add Visual Reviews^®,

‍Odds are, this applies to your competitors (or you). You can move miles ahead of the competition by allowing users to add Visual Reviews^® and actively soliciting this free, authentic content from your customers. ‍

2. You can increase transaction rates 6x by including user-generated content such as Visual Reviews^® in your abandoned cart emails.

‍There’s approximately $4 trillion in merchandise abandoned in online shopping carts every year. It’s frustrating to see customers ditch their carts, but don’t lose hope. You can increase your chances of recovering these sales by including Visual Review^® content in your abandoned cart emails.

‍3. Visual Reviews^® and other content created by customers is considered 3x more authentic than brand-authored content.

‍Millennials have the most buying power of any generation, so it’s important to note that 90% of millennial consumers strongly prefer authentic content. Adding Visual Review^® content to your marketing emails, product pages, and review galleries will have a major impact on your conversion rate.

‍4. Visual Reviews^® outperform text reviews because 59% of consumers consider visual information more important than textual information.

‍Our brains process images faster than text and remember them longer, so it’s not surprising that consumers prefer Visual Reviews^®. A great customer-generated product photo conveys a vast amount of information in seconds. It shows that the customer liked the product enough to take the photo, it provides real-life context, it may provide a better idea of scale, and it allows buyers to picture themselves with the product more easily. That’s a lot of power for an image your customer happily gave your brand for free.

‍5. Mixing user-generated product videos with your traditional brand content increases customer engagement by 28%.

‍Customer-generated Visual Review^® content is extremely important, but your brand-created content still has its place. Traditional product visuals show customers that your company is legitimate and professional. To make the most of those professional visuals, mix them with your Visual Reviews^®. It’s a one-two punch of authenticity and professionalism that customers can’t resist.

‍6.Product reviews are customers’ most valued source of information, with 76% of shoppers saying they trust that reviews are authentic.That trust increases even more with Visual Reviews^®.

‍Customers value Visual Reviews^® because they’re authentic and therefore trustworthy. There’s no brand-generated marketing content that can match the power of a product review because marketing always has an agenda. A Visual Review offered by a customer is simply someone sharing their personal experience; it doesn’t matter to them whether the person viewing their product image makes a purchase. Because customers feel comfortable putting their trust in visual and product reviews, there’s unlimited potential for conversions from CGC.

‍7. Visual Review^® photos are free.

‍Rates for professional product photography range of $25 to $50+ per photo, and you need approximately four photos of a product to show different angles properly.That adds up quickly! You can offset that cost and improve conversions by showing a mix of professional photos and Visual Review^® content. You should always include at least one to two professional product images, but it’s a huge help to know you can count on your customer base to fill in the gaps.Want higher conversion rates and increased order values? Pixlee TurnTo’s Visual Reviews^® is the easiest way to capture those priceless product photos and videos from your customers.