Apr 25, 2025
7 MIN READ
INFLUENCER MARKETING
INFLUENCER MARKETING
Why UGC Matters More Than Ads for D2C Brands?
Why UGC Matters More Than Ads for D2C Brands?
Why UGC Matters More Than Ads for D2C Brands?
Aishwarya Taskar
Aishwarya Taskar
Aishwarya Taskar
Aishwarya Taskar
Content Marketer @impulze.ai
Blog in Short ⏱️
Blog in Short ⏱️
A quick glance at the highlights—perfect for when you're short on time.
A quick glance at the highlights—perfect for when you're short on time.
UGC is authentic content created by customers, which builds trust and increases engagement; 42% more effective than brand-created content.
UGC fosters community, encouraging repeat purchases and brand advocacy while being a low-cost strategy that boosts organic reach on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
UGC improves SEO by increasing discoverability and driving consistent traffic without the need for expensive ads.
Real-life examples from Starface, Lululemon, and Uniqlo show how UGC drives sales and loyalty.
By prioritizing UGC, D2C brands can market smarter, building credibility, connection, and community.
You launch your Shopify store. You’ve nailed the packaging, set up your ad campaigns, and maybe even landed a micro-influencer or two. But something’s missing.
The numbers aren’t quite moving. The comments are quiet. The ads? They’re starting to feel like background noise.
Then one morning, while checking your tagged posts, you spot it.
A customer has shared a photo of your product in action. No filters, no setup, just joy. They’re using it, loving it, telling the world about it. And people are listening. Liking. Sharing and asking where they can buy it.
This right here is the moment many D2C brands start to realize that user-generated content (UGC) does something traditional marketing can’t.
It builds trust. It fuels engagement. It gives your brand a heartbeat.
In this blog, we’ll walk through why UGC matters more than ads for D2C brands, backed by data and real-life brand examples that turned everyday customers into brand storytellers.
Let’s get into it.
Why UGC Beats Ads for D2C Brands Every Time
Ads may get seen, but UGC gets believed. Here’s why it consistently delivers better results for D2C brands:
1. The Authenticity Advantage: Why Real Beats Polished
People are bombarded with advertisements as soon as they open social media or step out. This is why authenticity stands out.
UGC provides genuine content created by customers, like reviews, photos, and testimonials, that resonate more with potential buyers. Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to perceive UGC as authentic compared to brand-created content.
This authenticity builds trust, as people tend to believe fellow consumers over polished brand messages. For D2C brands, showcasing real experiences can significantly influence purchasing decisions.
2. Engagement That Converts: UGC’s ROI Superpower
UGC doesn't just build trust; it also drives engagement. UGC is up to 42% more effective than brand-created content and generates nearly seven times more engagement.
Moreover, UGC-based ads achieve four times higher click-through rates and cost 50% less than average.. This increased engagement often translates to higher conversion rates, making UGC a cost-effective and high-performing marketing strategy.
Building Belonging: Turning Customers Into a Community
UGC fosters a sense of community among consumers. When customers share their experiences, they become part of the brand’s story, deepening their emotional connection to the brand.
UGC opens up conversations between brands and their audiences, helping grow a loyal and engaged customer base. This sense of belonging encourages repeat purchases and brand advocacy, which are important for D2C brands seeking to grow without relying heavily on ad spend.
4. Marketing on a Budget: UGC as Your Low-Cost Wingman
Traditional advertising can be expensive, especially for emerging D2C brands, which often struggle with funding. UGC offers a budget-friendly alternative. Encouraging customers to create content reduces the cost of content production while still reaching and influencing a large audience.
UGC provides a wealth of low-cost, customer-driven material to fuel content marketing strategies. UGC also adds credibility, too, since people trust peer recommendations over brand promotions.
5. Own the Feed: Winning With UGC on Social Platforms
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are ideal for showcasing user-generated content (UGC). Their visual-first format allows real customers to showcase products in natural, everyday settings, making the content feel relatable and authentic.
When brands encourage sharing through hashtags, challenges, or reposts, they unlock powerful word-of-mouth momentum at scale: something ads alone can’t replicate.
6. Social Proof Sells: How UGC Influences Buying Behavior
Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, rely heavily on social proof. They want to see how real people use a product before committing.
Millennials trust user-generated content (UGC) 50% more than content created directly by brands, making it a powerful lever for influence. Featuring UGC throughout your marketing funnel helps D2C brands close that trust gap and guide customers toward purchase.
7. Google Loves It Too: UGC for SEO and Discoverability
UGC can boost your brand’s visibility in search results. When customers create content, such as product reviews, unboxing videos, or social media posts, it adds fresh, relevant content online that search engines love.
This kind of content often includes natural keywords and phrases real users type into search bars, helping brands rank higher organically. For D2C businesses, this improves discoverability and drives consistent traffic without paying for every click.
The Feedback Loop: Listening, Improving, and Winning Loyalty
One of the underrated benefits of UGC is the feedback loop it creates. By paying attention to what customers share—both good and bad—brands can get real-time insights into what’s working and what’s not.
This lets D2C companies iterate on products faster, fix issues before they escalate, and show customers that their opinions matter. When people see that their input leads to change, they’re more likely to stay engaged and loyal.
Free Tool You May Need: Free Influencer Pricing Calculator
D2C Success Stories Powered by UGC
1. Starface: How Acne Became Instagram-Worthy
In 2019, Starface took a bold step that most skincare brands wouldn’t even consider. Instead of hiding acne, they made it a fashion statement. Their star-shaped pimple patches quickly became a visual trend that people were eager to share about.
The idea clicked instantly. Selfies featuring the bright yellow stars flooded Instagram and TikTok, and it wasn’t just about looks. People loved that the product worked.
Sales grew by 93% in 2023.
By mid-2024, Starface was selling 200 packs every minute.
‘Starface pimple patch’ appeared in 54.7 million mentions on TikTok.
Kim Kardashian and North West featured the patches in a TikTok video that pulled in 30 million views.
A product that started as a skincare fix became a viral symbol of self-acceptance. The brand built a fanbase that proudly shared their acne stories instead of hiding them.
2. Lululemon’s #TheSweatLife: Fitness, Real and Unfiltered
Lululemon wanted more than gym selfies. With #TheSweatLife, they encouraged people to share the messy, honest side of their fitness journeys. It wasn’t about perfect poses. It was about real workouts, real sweat, and real stories.
People responded with enthusiasm. Their community showed up in yoga studios, out on trails, and mid-burpee, wearing Lululemon and telling their stories.
Over 7,000 customers posted photos and videos showing their routines.
The campaign brought in more than 40,000 unique visitors to Lululemon’s website.
Those posts sparked deeper engagement and gave new customers a reason to trust the brand.
By putting the spotlight on their customers, Lululemon created a sense of belonging. The message was clear. You don’t have to be a pro athlete to be part of the story.
3. Uniqlo’s #UTPlayYourWorld: UGC Takes Center Stage
In 2019, Uniqlo launched the #UTPlayYourWorld campaign in collaboration with TikTok. This marked TikTok's first-ever multi-market brand campaign, and Uniqlo used it to increase its visibility and connect with younger audiences in a fun and creative way.
The concept was simple: users from the U.S., France, Japan, and Taiwan were invited to create 15-second videos showing how they express their unique personalities through Uniqlo’s UT graphic T-shirts. The hashtag #UTPlayYourWorld quickly caught on, and the campaign went global.
185,000+ video submissions flooded in.
95,000+ TikTok users joined the challenge.
The campaign accumulated a staggering 330 million views by July 22, 2019.
By curating the best videos and showcasing them in-store and across Uniqlo’s social media channels, the brand built a sense of global connection, with fans expressing their styles and cultures through the T-shirts.
The campaign proved that UGC could not only elevate a brand but also foster a worldwide community of creators.
How To Find and Manage UGC Creators Using impulze.ai
An influencer marketing tool like impulze.ai can help you find UGC creators quickly. You can use its search bar to look for social media users with public profiles who have used particular hashtags, mentions, and words in their post descriptions.
Watch the video to learn how to use the app’s search bar to find UGC creators.
There’s a big difference between searching for creators on social media and using impulze.ai’s search bar. On social media, you’re stuck sifting through endless profiles, guessing who might be the right fit. With impulze.ai, you can instantly access a detailed report with audience demographics and follower insights…No more guesswork, just the right UGC creators who match your target audience.
And, once you’ve found the right creators, you can use the app to outreach them automatically! Here's how:
Further, you can also manage influencer relationships, and create plus track your campaigns.
Conclusion
User-generated content offers D2C brands something ads often can’t: credibility, connection, and a sense of community. By prioritizing UGC, brands don’t just market better—they market smarter. Authentic voices build trust. And in the world of D2C, that kind of trust is worth more than any billboard or sponsored post.
impulze.ai can help you find such voices in a few clicks. You can access our database and find such creators through our free plan. Use our influencer report to see if the creators you find are a good fit for your brand.
You launch your Shopify store. You’ve nailed the packaging, set up your ad campaigns, and maybe even landed a micro-influencer or two. But something’s missing.
The numbers aren’t quite moving. The comments are quiet. The ads? They’re starting to feel like background noise.
Then one morning, while checking your tagged posts, you spot it.
A customer has shared a photo of your product in action. No filters, no setup, just joy. They’re using it, loving it, telling the world about it. And people are listening. Liking. Sharing and asking where they can buy it.
This right here is the moment many D2C brands start to realize that user-generated content (UGC) does something traditional marketing can’t.
It builds trust. It fuels engagement. It gives your brand a heartbeat.
In this blog, we’ll walk through why UGC matters more than ads for D2C brands, backed by data and real-life brand examples that turned everyday customers into brand storytellers.
Let’s get into it.
Why UGC Beats Ads for D2C Brands Every Time
Ads may get seen, but UGC gets believed. Here’s why it consistently delivers better results for D2C brands:
1. The Authenticity Advantage: Why Real Beats Polished
People are bombarded with advertisements as soon as they open social media or step out. This is why authenticity stands out.
UGC provides genuine content created by customers, like reviews, photos, and testimonials, that resonate more with potential buyers. Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to perceive UGC as authentic compared to brand-created content.
This authenticity builds trust, as people tend to believe fellow consumers over polished brand messages. For D2C brands, showcasing real experiences can significantly influence purchasing decisions.
2. Engagement That Converts: UGC’s ROI Superpower
UGC doesn't just build trust; it also drives engagement. UGC is up to 42% more effective than brand-created content and generates nearly seven times more engagement.
Moreover, UGC-based ads achieve four times higher click-through rates and cost 50% less than average.. This increased engagement often translates to higher conversion rates, making UGC a cost-effective and high-performing marketing strategy.
Building Belonging: Turning Customers Into a Community
UGC fosters a sense of community among consumers. When customers share their experiences, they become part of the brand’s story, deepening their emotional connection to the brand.
UGC opens up conversations between brands and their audiences, helping grow a loyal and engaged customer base. This sense of belonging encourages repeat purchases and brand advocacy, which are important for D2C brands seeking to grow without relying heavily on ad spend.
4. Marketing on a Budget: UGC as Your Low-Cost Wingman
Traditional advertising can be expensive, especially for emerging D2C brands, which often struggle with funding. UGC offers a budget-friendly alternative. Encouraging customers to create content reduces the cost of content production while still reaching and influencing a large audience.
UGC provides a wealth of low-cost, customer-driven material to fuel content marketing strategies. UGC also adds credibility, too, since people trust peer recommendations over brand promotions.
5. Own the Feed: Winning With UGC on Social Platforms
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are ideal for showcasing user-generated content (UGC). Their visual-first format allows real customers to showcase products in natural, everyday settings, making the content feel relatable and authentic.
When brands encourage sharing through hashtags, challenges, or reposts, they unlock powerful word-of-mouth momentum at scale: something ads alone can’t replicate.
6. Social Proof Sells: How UGC Influences Buying Behavior
Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, rely heavily on social proof. They want to see how real people use a product before committing.
Millennials trust user-generated content (UGC) 50% more than content created directly by brands, making it a powerful lever for influence. Featuring UGC throughout your marketing funnel helps D2C brands close that trust gap and guide customers toward purchase.
7. Google Loves It Too: UGC for SEO and Discoverability
UGC can boost your brand’s visibility in search results. When customers create content, such as product reviews, unboxing videos, or social media posts, it adds fresh, relevant content online that search engines love.
This kind of content often includes natural keywords and phrases real users type into search bars, helping brands rank higher organically. For D2C businesses, this improves discoverability and drives consistent traffic without paying for every click.
The Feedback Loop: Listening, Improving, and Winning Loyalty
One of the underrated benefits of UGC is the feedback loop it creates. By paying attention to what customers share—both good and bad—brands can get real-time insights into what’s working and what’s not.
This lets D2C companies iterate on products faster, fix issues before they escalate, and show customers that their opinions matter. When people see that their input leads to change, they’re more likely to stay engaged and loyal.
Free Tool You May Need: Free Influencer Pricing Calculator
D2C Success Stories Powered by UGC
1. Starface: How Acne Became Instagram-Worthy
In 2019, Starface took a bold step that most skincare brands wouldn’t even consider. Instead of hiding acne, they made it a fashion statement. Their star-shaped pimple patches quickly became a visual trend that people were eager to share about.
The idea clicked instantly. Selfies featuring the bright yellow stars flooded Instagram and TikTok, and it wasn’t just about looks. People loved that the product worked.
Sales grew by 93% in 2023.
By mid-2024, Starface was selling 200 packs every minute.
‘Starface pimple patch’ appeared in 54.7 million mentions on TikTok.
Kim Kardashian and North West featured the patches in a TikTok video that pulled in 30 million views.
A product that started as a skincare fix became a viral symbol of self-acceptance. The brand built a fanbase that proudly shared their acne stories instead of hiding them.
2. Lululemon’s #TheSweatLife: Fitness, Real and Unfiltered
Lululemon wanted more than gym selfies. With #TheSweatLife, they encouraged people to share the messy, honest side of their fitness journeys. It wasn’t about perfect poses. It was about real workouts, real sweat, and real stories.
People responded with enthusiasm. Their community showed up in yoga studios, out on trails, and mid-burpee, wearing Lululemon and telling their stories.
Over 7,000 customers posted photos and videos showing their routines.
The campaign brought in more than 40,000 unique visitors to Lululemon’s website.
Those posts sparked deeper engagement and gave new customers a reason to trust the brand.
By putting the spotlight on their customers, Lululemon created a sense of belonging. The message was clear. You don’t have to be a pro athlete to be part of the story.
3. Uniqlo’s #UTPlayYourWorld: UGC Takes Center Stage
In 2019, Uniqlo launched the #UTPlayYourWorld campaign in collaboration with TikTok. This marked TikTok's first-ever multi-market brand campaign, and Uniqlo used it to increase its visibility and connect with younger audiences in a fun and creative way.
The concept was simple: users from the U.S., France, Japan, and Taiwan were invited to create 15-second videos showing how they express their unique personalities through Uniqlo’s UT graphic T-shirts. The hashtag #UTPlayYourWorld quickly caught on, and the campaign went global.
185,000+ video submissions flooded in.
95,000+ TikTok users joined the challenge.
The campaign accumulated a staggering 330 million views by July 22, 2019.
By curating the best videos and showcasing them in-store and across Uniqlo’s social media channels, the brand built a sense of global connection, with fans expressing their styles and cultures through the T-shirts.
The campaign proved that UGC could not only elevate a brand but also foster a worldwide community of creators.
How To Find and Manage UGC Creators Using impulze.ai
An influencer marketing tool like impulze.ai can help you find UGC creators quickly. You can use its search bar to look for social media users with public profiles who have used particular hashtags, mentions, and words in their post descriptions.
Watch the video to learn how to use the app’s search bar to find UGC creators.
There’s a big difference between searching for creators on social media and using impulze.ai’s search bar. On social media, you’re stuck sifting through endless profiles, guessing who might be the right fit. With impulze.ai, you can instantly access a detailed report with audience demographics and follower insights…No more guesswork, just the right UGC creators who match your target audience.
And, once you’ve found the right creators, you can use the app to outreach them automatically! Here's how:
Further, you can also manage influencer relationships, and create plus track your campaigns.
Conclusion
User-generated content offers D2C brands something ads often can’t: credibility, connection, and a sense of community. By prioritizing UGC, brands don’t just market better—they market smarter. Authentic voices build trust. And in the world of D2C, that kind of trust is worth more than any billboard or sponsored post.
impulze.ai can help you find such voices in a few clicks. You can access our database and find such creators through our free plan. Use our influencer report to see if the creators you find are a good fit for your brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is UGC for marketing?
What is UGC for marketing?
What is UGC for marketing?
Do brands pay for UGC?
Do brands pay for UGC?
Do brands pay for UGC?
What is a good example of UGC?
What is a good example of UGC?
What is a good example of UGC?
Is UGC better than influencer marketing?
Is UGC better than influencer marketing?
Is UGC better than influencer marketing?
What does UGC stand for?
What does UGC stand for?
What does UGC stand for?
Do UGC creators make money?
Do UGC creators make money?
Do UGC creators make money?
Is UGC actually worth it?
Is UGC actually worth it?
Is UGC actually worth it?
Author Bio
Author Bio
Aishwarya Taskar
Aishwarya Taskar
Aishwarya Taskar is a full-time writer. She has studied journalism and marketing. In her free time, she loves watching films and spending time with animals. You can learn more about her here.
Aishwarya Taskar is a full-time writer. She has studied journalism and marketing. In her free time, she loves watching films and spending time with animals. You can learn more about her here.
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May be Later