Bold, loud, and unleashed voices of the consumers are no longer sitting in the shadows waiting for direction. They are the ones giving directions. – From the ebook ‘Making Customer Voices Count’ 2024 saw groundbreaking impact of user-generated content (UGC), solidifying its role as a major driver of social media influence and brand-consumer connections. That...
Bold, loud, and unleashed voices of the consumers are no longer sitting in the shadows waiting for direction. They are the ones giving directions.
– From the ebook ‘Making Customer Voices Count’
2024 saw groundbreaking impact of user-generated content (UGC), solidifying its role as a major driver of social media influence and brand-consumer connections. That is not all, consumer communities joined forces to reshape how we shop. Creators increasingly pushed boundaries by producing content that’s completely authentic, relevant, and entertaining. Brand collaborations and product placements were no longer heavily scripted.
By placing real voices and everyday experiences at the forefront, brands have unlocked a powerful way to foster loyalty and spark conversations.
In this post, we’ll explore the top developments that defined UGC trends 2024, examine how they enhanced brand-consumer relationships, and offer insights on what these breakthroughs mean for the future of digital marketing.
The Rise of Social Media Influence
There was a time when people connected around the kitchen table, in parks, over the backyard fence, or by telephone. Letters travelled through post and people met in person to ask each other’s wellbeing. Then came social media and everything changed.
Every minute of the day, Instagram users send 694K reels, Facebook users like 4M posts, X users send 360K tweets, and Twitch users watch 48K hours of content. The world is constantly influencing and being influenced.
Micro and Nano Influencers’ Impact
A standout highlight among UGC trends 2024 has been the growing prominence of micro influencers and nano influencers. With smaller follower counts and tighter-knit audiences, these creators bring an unmatched level of authenticity, which makes them exceptionally powerful at elevating genuine consumer voices. As a result, brands partnering with micro and nano influencers have seen higher engagement rates and stronger community trust—key ingredients for successful campaigns and UGC trends 2024.
One noteworthy example is Benefit Cosmetics. The brand operates in a highly competitive beauty industry and must constantly develop impactful campaigns to captivate its audience. In fact, the brand aims to launch new campaigns every two months to stay fresh and engaging.
To achieve this, Benefit needs brand ambassadors who align with its image. Choosing the right influencers is therefore a top priority to ensure each campaign is both effective and true to the Benefit brand.
Benefit focuses on identifying and activating micro and nano influencers who can showcase the Benefit experience on Instagram and TikTok through unique, simple, and accessible content that feels spontaneous and relatable.
With the help of Skeepers’ influencer marketing solution, Benefit taps into a community of thousands of creators, making highly targeted selections, ensuring each chosen partner fits the spirit of every campaign.
Community-Driven Campaigns
Beyond individual partnerships, brands have harnessed the power of community-building to spark user engagement and brand loyalty at scale. In 2024, we saw an uptick in interactive product launches, online forums, and feedback loops that placed the audience at the forefront.
By inviting users to co-create content—whether through polls, Q&A sessions, or creative challenges—companies tapped into a sense of shared ownership that drove organic reach and enthusiasm around their offerings.
A prime illustration of this is a beauty brand Superdrug.It is one of the biggest beauty and skincare retailers in the UK with over 800 stores and 10 Million monthly visitors on their online shop.
In mid-2019, Superdrug partnered with TokyWoky (now Skeepers Brand Communities) to introduce a community platform on their ecommerce site, aiming to become the leading online beauty destination. Within just a few months, they had over 6,000 engaged customers and earned the Best Community Hub title at the 2020 Glossy Beauty Awards.
“The ROI on key eComm targets and the consumer insights being cascaded back into the business from the beauty community have been the keys to success of this project, but this is first and foremost a customer facing innovation.”
– Claudia Holm, Ecommerce Team Manager at Superdrug
Visual Storytelling Takes Center Stage
In 2024, platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok became instrumental in video marketing, with short, snackable clips dominating user feeds worldwide. These quick-hit videos are highly shareable and easy to consume, driving viral trends at a rapid pace. Part of their success lies in the creative transitions, catchy music, and interactive editing styles. It empowers everyday creators to produce cinematic-quality content with minimal effort.
Teaming up with Skeepers, La Redoute introduced in their strategy short-form videos created by real customers. These videos showcased products in their own homes, bringing a personal, relatable dimension to online shopping. A good example is their anti-stain cotton tablecloth campaign, where the video content led to a 50% increase in items added to carts and a 21.5% boost in conversion rates.
A/B testing confirmed that these consumer-generated videos significantly drive engagement, especially for products like carpets and homeware. The results were higher add-to-cart numbers and improved overall conversions.
AI Collaboration in UGC
According to Salesforce, more than 45% of the US population used GenAI in 2024. 65% of these users are GenZ and Millennials. Moreover, The World Economic Forum estimates that by the end of 2025, people will create over 463 exabytes of data daily. This is equivalent to 200 million+ DVDs each day.
Managing the massive amount of UGC is nearly impossible for humans to handle alone. AI can process this data at scale, in real time, and across multiple channels. With its unmatched capacity for rapid data analysis, AI is redefining how brands handle, moderate, and organize UGC.
It is far more than just an automation tool, AI now ensures that UGC aligns with brand values, legal requirements, and community guidelines.
AI’s reach also extends to automated translations of reviews and feedback. It breaks language barriers so brands can gather insights from various markets. This makes UGC accessible worldwide and allows brands to maintain consistent engagement with their global audience.
Furthermore, AI can automatically categorize reviews and feedback by theme, sentiment, or product type. This organization allows brands to swiftly identify trends, track customer sentiment, and pinpoint areas needing improvement.
Conclusion
From the rise of micro and nano influencers to the innovations in AI and video marketing, UGC trends 2024 have changed how brands leverage consumer voices.
Looking ahead, the importance of UGC will only grow as new platforms, tools, and audience preferences continue to evolve. Staying agile, exploring emerging technologies, and fostering genuine relationships with creators will remain critical for brands looking to stay relevant.
Ready to dive deeper into the future of UGC? Download our ebook ‘Making Customer Voices Count: UGC Trends in 2025’.
