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As consumers seek out authentic, relatable content to inform their purchasing decisions, food and beverage brands must go beyond traditional product labels. In this guest article, Randy Mercer unpacks how user-generated content is shaping flavour perceptions, enhancing digital shelf appeal, and offering brands a powerful tool to connect with audiences through real experiences and everyday moments.

Product labels still play an important role, but for today’s food and beverage shoppers, they tell only part of the story. Increasingly, consumers build trust through digital content, customer reviews and social feedback. According to WorldSync’s 2024 Product Content Benchmark Report, 65% of shoppers turn to user-generated content (UGC) before making a purchase – underlining why smart product content orchestration should be a top priority for manufacturers.

The modern shopping journey begins long before a store visit or website click. On social media, brand websites and digital marketplaces, consumers research extensively – comparing prices, reading reviews and scrutinising product details. The same report reveals that 49% of shoppers made a purchase based on influencer recommendations in the past year, a ten-point increase from 2023.

For food & beverage manufacturers, this shift in consumer behaviour demands a new approach to digital presence. More than anything, consumers seek visual validation through authentic user content, reviews, photos and videos from real people, which carries more weight than traditional brand messaging. Think about it: What’s more popular? Consumer-made videos showing everyday people mixing and enjoying cocktails at home or polished product shots?

Even established brands face strong competition from private labels when backed by positive customer reviews. As consumer reliance on UGC continues to grow, success in this new landscape belongs to manufacturers who turn UGC into a competitive advantage through strategic product content orchestration.

Types of UGC with the most impact in F&B

EMarketer recently reported that food influencer marketing is expected to grow at a rate of 42% between 2019 and 2024. Why are influencers vital to F&B brands’ marketing efforts? Without being able to taste, visual food content is the next best thing to experiencing the real deal, meaning photo and video-related content from other users is essential for F&B consumers considering making a purchase.

For this reason, user-generated content, like customer reviews on product content pages, partnership posts showcasing product use cases and organic social media posts about the product, is especially influential in the F&B industry.

Name brands taking advantage of visual UGC include:

• Lays’ 'Do Us A Flavour' campaign asked customers to submit ideas for new flavours and features UGC-style videos of people reacting to the winning flavours.

  
  

• HelloFresh features customer-created videos on its socials showing home cooks preparing the meal kits. These authentic clips capture genuine reactions to the cooking process and final results, often highlighting the recipes’ simplicity and flavour.

What makes a great photo or video?

The most effective and impactful UGC connects with shoppers’ values in an authentic way, which creates trust and a lasting relationship between brands and their customer base.

Successful video content captures real moments that tell a product's story. From a home cook's surprise at how easily a sauce comes together to an honest review of a new snack's flavour profile, these unscripted reactions guide potential buyers in assessing product value. When beverage influencers share detailed feedback about carbonation, taste notes and serving suggestions, they are creating relatable content that informs and drives purchase decisions.

Visual storytelling through product photos extends beyond basic product shots. Food bloggers who document their cooking journey, showing ingredient prep, plating techniques and final presentations, help consumers envision products in their own kitchens while allowing them to imagine themselves sharing similar moments of joy, surprise and satisfaction as their favourite influencers.

The key lies in natural, purposeful content that demonstrates true worth. Whether it's step-by-step recipe videos, honest flavour reactions or creative serving suggestions, the most compelling content shows authentic experiences with F&B products.

Building a framework for user-generated content

F&B brands can systematically encourage user-generated content. Success depends on making content creation feel natural and rewarding. 91% of consumers are more likely to share reviews and content when they feel connected to a brand, according to TINT's recent State of Community Powered Marketing report. Here are strategic approaches F&B brands can use to encourage meaningful UGC:

1. Leverage purchase moments: Partner with retailers to integrate review prompts into loyalty programmes, track UGC performance metrics, incentivise visual content through featured placement opportunities and measure engagement across digital channels. Brands can even create QR codes on packaging that link to review platforms to make the feedback process more accessible.

2. Tap into food culture: Ask users to share beautifully plated treats, launch seasonal recipe contests featuring your products and encourage customers to share how they incorporate the brand into their daily routines.

3. Scale through strategic partnerships: Engage food and beverage influencers to share authentic product reviews and testimonials, create exclusive recipes using brand ingredients and share limited-time offerings through targeted community campaigns. Most importantly, distribute this valuable user content across retail partner platforms to ensure maximum visibility.

4. Optimise review platforms: Create dedicated spaces for product feedback across digital channels. Make review submission intuitive, encourage photo and video uploads and actively respond to customer feedback. This engagement shows potential buyers that the brand values customer input while providing valuable insights for product development and marketing strategies.

With influencer marketing tripling in size since 2019, UGC has become central to F&B e-commerce success. Consumer trust now hinges on authentic digital experiences, from detailed product reviews to visual proof points across retail channels. Food and beverage manufacturers who master product content orchestration, blending professional assets with strategic user content, will capture market share in this digital-first landscape.