Emplifi, a leading social media marketing and customer engagement platform, has released its Q3 2025 Social Media Benchmarks report, revealing that user generated content (UGC) continues to outperform all other forms of social content in driving measurable business outcomes. Based on data from tens of thousands of global brands, the study found that social media posts featuring UGC achieved 10.38 times higher conversion rates than non‑UGC posts, along with stronger website traffic and higher average order values (AOVs).
The findings show a significant quarter‑over‑quarter jump: in Q2 2025, UGC posts delivered 5.29 times higher conversion rates, nearly doubling in Q3. Although other performance metrics dipped slightly, UGC still outperformed conventional brand content by wide margins. UGC posts generated 3.84 times more website visits (compared to 4.3X in Q2) and delivered a 1.06X boost in AOVs (down from 2.35X in Q2).
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“Our benchmark report reinforces just how critical UGC is to a brand’s social success. Any retailer looking to maximize their conversion rates across social media should continue to lean heavily on authentic content created by their biggest fans,” said Susan Ganeshan, Chief Marketing Officer at Emplifi. “Even with its impact on website traffic and average order values experiencing a slight drop, UGC is still more effective than nearly all other creative. And with the Golden Quarter now in full swing, we expect Q4 performance to strengthen as engagement and purchasing activity rise.”
Social Commerce Trends and Ad Performance Insights
Emplifi’s study highlights continued dominance by Meta platforms in global social commerce. Facebook accounted for 34.2% of all interactions, rising from 27.6% in Q2, while Instagram increased to 26.8%, up from 23.7%. Facebook Live videos saw higher engagement, averaging 20 interactions per video, up from 17. In contrast, engagement for Instagram Carousels and Reels experienced modest declines, averaging 38 and 33 interactions per post respectively.
On the advertising side, Facebook Feed ads continue to outperform other formats. Click‑through‑rates (CTR) remained steady at 2.23% in Q3, while Reels CTRs dipped slightly from 1.38% to 1.3%. Facebook Feed ads accounted for the majority of ad spend, exceeding Instagram placements by 25.4 percentage points.
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Strategic Takeaways for Brands
Industry analysts predict 6.7% year‑over‑year growth in online retail sales this holiday season slower than previous years yet signaling intense competition for consumer attention. Ganeshan emphasized that UGC, combined with a stronger investment in video content, should remain central to brands’ Q4 strategies.
“Our biggest takeaway for brands as they build out their Q4 social media strategy: authentic content like UGC is going to be a key driver of engagement and conversions,” Ganeshan said. “With Meta prioritizing video content, now is the time to boost focus on Reels and other interactive video formats. Fortunately, AI advancements like image recognition and AI‑based captioning make it easier for teams of all sizes to refresh creative and refine strategies in real time.”
Emplifi’s integrated solutions continue to help global brands deploy AI‑driven social marketing, optimize ad spending, and boost engagement delivering measurable social commerce results without increasing budgets or headcount.
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