Using UGC in email and Klaviyo flows
Your highest-performing email creative is probably not from your design team, it is from your customers. Here is where UGC belongs across your lifecycle flows.
Rohin AggarwalCo-founder · Idukki.io·April 18, 2026 · updated May 25, 2026·6 minFrom the Idukki deskEmail is still one of the highest-return channels in ecommerce, and most of it is filled with brand-made creative. Swap some of that for customer content and the same flows tend to perform better, because a customer photo reads as real where a studio banner reads as an ad.
Why UGC lifts email
An inbox is a sceptical place. Polished brand creative announces itself as marketing. A real customer photo or video does not, it carries the same credibility it has on the product page, and it makes the email feel like a recommendation rather than a push.
Where UGC fits in the flows
- Welcome flow, a wall of happy customers as first-impression proof the brand is trusted.
- Browse and cart abandonment, UGC of the exact product the shopper looked at, answering the doubt that stalled them.
- Post-purchase, customer content that reassures the new buyer, and prompts them to create their own.
- Win-back, real customer results as a reason for a lapsed customer to look again.
Doing it well
- 1Use only cleared content, your email licence must cover marketing use, not just on-site.
- 2Keep it relevant, the UGC should show the product the email is actually about.
- 3Keep images light, heavy email images hurt deliverability and load.
- 4Link it back, the customer content should lead to the product page, which carries more of the same.
Sources & notes
- 1Klaviyo, lifecycle flow benchmarks · Flow structure and creative performance.
- 2Bazaarvoice, UGC in marketing channels · UGC creative versus studio creative.
+18%
Median PDP CVR lift
Idukki dataset, 2,400+ brands
+144%
Lift among UGC-engagers
Bazaarvoice 2025 SEI
79%
Consumers say UGC highly impacts purchase
Nosto
4.1x
Video review vs text-only
PowerReviews 2023
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