User-Generated Content for eCommerce – A Best Practice Example

Leverage User-Generated Content for eCommerce Like Wallpaper from the 70s Does

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user-generated content for eCommerce used on the Wallpaper from the 70s website. A laptop with the website open and a wallpaper in the background.

We recently stumbled upon a very colorful social media wall as well as one of the best examples of using user-generated content for eCommerce. Wallpaper from the 70s does a great job encouraging their buyers to share how they use the products. They then collect all this content from multiple social media platforms and incorporate it in their eCommerce website using Walls.io.

Here are a few tips for driving more conversions using user-generated content for your eCommerce website.

Use multilingual hashtags for an international audience

Wallpaper from the 70s encourages their customers to share how they use the wallpapers they buy. They launched a social media contest, encouraging people to post using the company’s official hashtags. 

Since they sell their products worldwide and also have their website translated into different languages, they have different multilingual hashtags:

  • in German (#TapetenDer70er)
  • Italian (#CartaDaParatiDegliAnni70)
  • French (#PapierPeintDesAnnees70)
  • Spanish (#PapelesDeLos70) and
  • English (#WallpaperFromThe70s)

Motivate customers with an ongoing contest

When choosing a product, nothing is more helpful than being inspired by like-minded people. That’s why Wallpaper from the 70s encourages their customers to share the great projects they used the wallpapers for.

To collect authentic user-generated content, Wallpaper from the 70s launched an ongoing contest. They ask their buyers to post a cool photograph or video of their new wallpapers, adding the relevant hashtag.

They select a winner by random generator every three months. The winner is entitled to a full reimbursement of their purchase price (up to 1,000 Euros).

Wallpaper from the 70s collects and displays the best submissions on a social media wall. They embed the wall on their homepage and their customer photos on this contest page.

Wallpaper from the 70s contest page displaying a social media feed showing customer photos from Instagram and Facebook. At the top of the page they encourage customer to share user0generated content: "We are proud of our wallpapers - and so are our customers: Let others inspire you to find out what can be done with wallpapers. Every day new pictures are added which show us many ideas we hadn't thought of yet." At the bottom of the page they have another call-to-action encouraging their customers to share photos of their creations and get the possibility to win 1000 EUR cashback.

Use trustworthy content to speed up buying decisions

Visual marketing with user-generated content is one of the most trusted forms of marketing. Consumers trust the content that other customers share. They are searching for authentic stories, and inspiration to validate their purchasing decisions.

Fans provide social proof for potential customers that your brand is worthy of their time and effort. Drive conversions with authentic user-generated content from existing customers raving about how happy they are with your product.

Wallpaper from the 70s uses a user-generated content platform to collect and display posts shared by their customers. They encourage customers to use one of their hashtags or tag the company when they share their wallpaper on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. 

Instagram user-generated content for eCommerce

Among all platforms, Instagram seems to shine in this campaign. It’s widely known that Instagram is one of the most powerful marketing tools for brands. With 83% of Instagram users discovering new products on the platform, encouraging buyers to share how they use your products is a great idea. You can inspire both your Instagram followers and your website’s visitors by embedding the instagram hashtag feed on your website.

It’s easy to collect and embed Instagram user-generated content using a social wall. Walls.io even allows you to add call-to-action buttons, linking to specific products. Wallpaper from the 70s even used the social wall API feature to create a custom widget for their website.

 Instagram user-generated content feed displayed on the Wallpaper from the 70s homepage with the intro text: "Take a peak Other customers' photographs"
Walls.io Instagram user-generated content feed embedded on the Wallpaper from the 70s website
An example of a shoppable Instagram post with the call-to-action "buy now" on the Wallpaper from the 70s website.
Walls.io Instagram shoppable post on the Wallpaper from the 70s website

As mentioned above, WallpaperFromThe70s also uses Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube as part of their user-generated content contest. Even though most of their customers use Instagram to post their creations, some users prefer to share their photos on other networks. 

When taking part in the competition via Facebook, WallpaperFromThe70 askes their customers to post their pictures or videos on the WallpaperFromThe70s Facebook page timeline.

Here’s an example of how they display a Facebook post with a call-to-action button (in German) to link social media content to their product page.

An example of a shoppable Facebook post with the call-to-action "Jetzt kaufen" on the Wallpaper from the 70s website and a screenshot of the product page it links to showing a wallpaper called VanGogh Meadow mint turquoise.
Wallpaper from the 70s a screenshot of the product page showing a wallpaper called VanGogh Meadow mint turquoise.

Pinterest is often dismissed as a place to collect DIY projects, recipes, and fashion wants. Meanwhile, the social media network has turned into a powerful marketing tool for brands.

Wallpaper from the 70s collects pins published by their customers on a Pinterest board. They then embed it on their eCommerce website using Walls.io. They then add call-to-action buttons to the individual posts. This makes it easy to connect them to the relevant product pages. It works for every social network supported by the social wall.

Wallpaper from the 70s Pinterest board showing the example of a customer pin photo with a cat sitting on a heating unit, with a wallpaper with a tree and birds in the background.

More examples of brands using social media for eCommerce

IKEA Poland also uses a social media photo gallery to display authentic social media content from shoppers. The images serve as inspiration for other customers and communicate that you don’t need to be an interior designer to make your home look great with IKEA products.

Ikea social media feed on website example

The German audio equipment manufacturer beyerdynamic has a social commerce feed embedded on their website. They select the best user-generated content posted with their hashtag and then link those posts to the corresponding products. Visitors see that other customers are satisfied with the brand and get to see the products in action.

Screenshot of the beyerdynamic social wall as it is embedded on the beyerdynamic website. The copy at the top of the page introduces the #beyerdynamic hashtag and explains how people can share using the hashtag for a chance to be featured on the social wall. An example of using user-generated content for eCommerce.

Start using user-generated content for eCommerce

Pick the most stunning content your fans are creating and connect it to your products with only a few clicks. Choose from our list of call-to-action buttons and link each post to the appropriate page on your website. The call-to-action buttons will be displayed in the same language that your social wall is set to.

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Walls.io Call-to-action button feature dialogue

Learn more about using user-generated content for your brand