When it comes to shopping, Millennials don't necessarily care what their friends or family have to say about this or that brand.

A sizable percentage of consumers in their teens to mid-30s are more likely to trust the opinions of experienced consumers over friends and family, a distinction that is redefining what it means to get "word-of-mouth" buzz and setting the younger generation apart from previous ones, a preview of a new survey conducted by Bazaarvoice in partnership with the Center for Generational Kinetics and Kelton Research reveals.

The study, released today, finds that while all generations trust opinions of other consumers over brand messages, Millennials put a good deal of weight in the experiences of "people like them." While 56 percent of Millennials trust friends and family about which brands they prefer, 44 percent prefer the advice of consumers they don’t know (only 31 percent of baby boomers say the same).

More than half—51 percent—of Millennials said the user-generated content from strangers that they eyeball online is more likely to influence their purchase decisions than recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues, while only 34 percent of boomers agree. A vast majority of Millennials, 84 percent, report that user-generated content from strangers, which most consider more honest and genuine than other information found online, has at least some influence on what they buy.

So what does the power of these stranger shopping cohorts mean for retailers?

“Since Millennials trust other consumers more than they trust brands, consumer opinions need to take center stage, and not just online,” Lisa Pearson, vice president of global marketing at Bazaarvoice told Portfolio.com. “Brands need to take substantive action on the feedback they receive, and then let consumers know that their opinions are making real differences in how they operate their businesses.”

One company that Bazaarvoice works with, Benefit Cosmetics, took the plunge and added product reviews onto its Facebook page and onto the iPad. It also created an in-store only iPad app that lets consumers browse in-store offerings, search products, and see what is new.

Urban Outfitters has taken what its users like seriously too, using real photos of outfits that their customers put together to inspire their own style and photo shoots, Pearson says.

It's worth noting that the way messages are spread about brands typically involves social media. The new study notes that 80 percent of Millennials actively use Facebook, 49 percent tune into YouTube, 28 percent deploy Twitter, 25 percent use Google+, and 42 percent are most likely to share both positive and negative experiences with brands via social channels versus 32 percent who would email their friends or call up the company.