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I just stood there, waiting, when she suddenly grabbed
ry
The very point of sale the bedspread from my hands, aggressively removing the
The ve
point of sale
security tag and shouting for the store "manager" with
whom I'd spoken earlier. I exited the store without waiting
for more drama.
A few days after my guests had left, I related the story to
a sympathetic customer service agent, who confirmed I
had not spoken to a manager or an assistant manager at
the store. The agent agreed to notify the real store manager
about the employees I'd encountered, saying they did not
reflect the brand. The takeaway for me is how I continue to
Lifetime customer avoid that store.

value UGC in B2C

In the digital-first age, retailers can lose more than sales
By Dale S. Laszig to disgruntled customers, whose online reviews and social
media content can damage or enhance a brand. Kerry
DSL Direct LlC Bridge, director of global web and content marketing at
Bazaarvoice, explored the impact of user-generated content
esearchers have found that most consumers in her Nov. 2, 2023, post, "Voice of the Customer: Reshaping
who become disappointed with a company's the shopping experience."
product or service will leave the offending
R brand and never return. I'm not sure I believed "User-generated content (UGC) is the voice of the customer
that until a recent experience made me feel differently in physical form," she wrote. "This shopper-created content,
about a store and an entire retail chain. in the form of customer reviews, Q&As, and social imagery
and videos, is a reflection of a customer's authentic voice."
Shellie Vornhagen, customer experience officer at Emplifi,
said 63 percent of U.S. and 62 percent of UK respondents, UGC is all about connecting with consumers, building an
surveyed by the company in 2022, would leave a brand due online community and creating a conversation between
to subpar service. "Consumers have too many options to customers and a brand, Bridge noted, stating that direct-
stick around after a poor customer experience," she said in to-consumer brands are finding UGC ads more cost-
a statement. "If you're not delivering exceptional CX, your effective and click-worthy than traditional content. UGC
customers are going to turn to your competitors, no matter on a company's website, product pages and social media
how loyal they were once upon a time." channels outperforms traditional content, because 84
percent of consumers are more likely to trust a brand if
Epic retail fail it features UGC and 77 percent are more likely to buy a
product that they found through UGC, she added.
While preparing a guest room in anticipation of a New
Year's Day gathering, I discovered a security tag deeply UGC in B2B
embedded in the massive folds of a king size bedspread.
Panicked, I called the store, laughingly describing my UGC is also reshaping the B2B customer experience, noted
plight and asking to speak to a manager. "I'm a manager," Austin Mac Nab, CEO and founder of VizyPay, who shared
replied a surly voice on the phone. "And if you don't have his perspectives in "Dinosaurs in the Age of COVID," my
the receipt, there's nothing I can do for you." column published Dec. 28, 2020, in issue 20:12:02 of The
Green Sheet.
Imagine beginning a conversation that way. I had
purchased the item six or seven months ago and thrown "'I think the newer generation of the payments world is
away the receipt after seeing the correct charge on my realizing that transparency with the backing of social
credit card statement. But happily, I located the transaction media and payments industry trade media gives small
in my annual spending report; thankfully, it was the only
item on the receipt, with dollar amount plus tax matching
the price tag. In the digital-first age, retailers can

I drove to the store, where I tripped an alarm upon entering, lose more than sales to disgruntled
and presented the bagged item and printed receipt to an customers, whose online reviews and
associate. "What do you expect me to do with this?" the
woman asked. "Unless you can tell me the precise register social media content can damage or
where you checked out, there's nothing I can do. This piece enhance a brand.
of paper is absolutely worthless without that detail."
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