Can UGC Outperforms Studio Videos in Shopify Sales (With Data)

Can UGC Outperforms Studio Videos in Shopify Sales (With Data)

When it comes to scaling Shopify brands in 2025, there’s one truth that’s hard to ignore: user-generated content (UGC) consistently beats polished studio videos in driving sales.

It’s not just a buzzword—it’s data-backed. Let’s break down why this shift is happening, what the numbers say, and how Shopify brands can take advantage.

1. The Trust Economy: Why UGC Wins Attention

  • According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from real people over traditional advertising.

  • UGC feels authentic, raw, and relatable—it mirrors how customers actually use products in daily life.

  • A Stackla report found that 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions, compared to just 13% who say brand-created content has the same effect.

👉 Studio videos may look pretty, but they feel like ads. UGC feels like a recommendation.

2. Higher Engagement Rates

  • Facebook & Instagram internal data show that UGC-style ads have 4x higher click-through rates (CTR)compared to branded creative.

  • TikTok For Business reports that ads with UGC outperform traditional content by 22% in engagement.

  • Shopify case studies confirm that brands swapping studio ads for UGC often see 20–35% cheaper CPMs and higher watch times.

👉 In plain terms: UGC gets more eyeballs for less money.

3. UGC Converts Better (and Cheaper)

  • Yotpo research shows that adding UGC to product pages increases conversion rates by 161%.

  • Shopify Plus merchants who A/B tested UGC vs studio ads saw, on average:

    • +29% lift in ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

    • −34% lower CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

  • According to EnTribe, campaigns using UGC drive 28% higher conversion rates compared to campaigns using branded content.

👉 More conversions at a lower cost = a Shopify marketer’s dream.

4. Scalability: Why UGC Is Easier to Produce

Studio shoots require:

  • Expensive cameras, lighting, set design, crew, editing.

  • Weeks of planning and execution.

UGC requires:

  • A phone, a customer, or a creator who can shoot in their living room.

  • Delivery in days, not weeks.

And the numbers prove scalability matters: UGC reduces creative production costs by up to 90% (Hootsuite, 2024). That’s budget Shopify brands can reinvest in traffic or testing new products.

5. Emotional Resonance → More Shopify Sales

  • Deloitte research found that emotionally-driven ads generate 23% more sales than purely rational ads.

  • UGC taps into real customer emotion: excitement, satisfaction, “look at this cool thing I bought.”

  • Studio videos? They often miss that real-world relatability.

👉 On Shopify, where buying decisions are fast and emotionally triggered, UGC aligns perfectly with the psychology of impulse-driven eCommerce.

Key Takeaways for Shopify Brands

  1. UGC > Studio Ads in trust & authenticity
    People trust people more than brands.

  2. UGC drives cheaper clicks and higher conversions
    Expect 20–35% cheaper ads and 25–30% better ROAS.

  3. UGC is faster and cheaper to scale
    No production bottlenecks, just fresh content on demand.

  4. UGC resonates emotionally
    And emotion is what drives eCommerce sales.

My Perspective as a Shopify Growth Partner

Studio videos still have their place—brand launches, high-ticket products, or retail partnerships where polish is non-negotiable.

But if your goal is scaling a Shopify store profitably with ads, you simply can’t beat UGC right now. The combination of trust, engagement, lower CPA, and speed to market makes it the most powerful creative weapon for 2025.

If I were advising a Shopify brand with a limited budget today, I’d say:
👉 Put 80% of your budget into testing UGC.
👉 Use the remaining 20% for studio content to build long-term brand assets.

That balance will give you the best of both worlds—short-term growth and long-term branding.

Back to blog