Graphic or short video? The influence mechanism of UGC types on consumers' purchase intention—Take Xiaohongshu as an example

Abstract

This study explores the effect of user-generated content (UGC) on consumer behavior and investigates how different types of UGC affect consumer purchase intention. The research model was constructed based on media richness theory (MRT), dual coding theory (DCT), and construal level theory (CLT), with the social media and e-commerce platform, Xiaohongshu, serving as the research object. Through five experiments, this study investigates the effect of graphic and short video UGC on consumer purchase intention and explores the mediating effects of perceived psychological distance and perceived value as well as the moderating roles of different UGC creators and experiential disclosure. The findings reveal that short video UGC generates a stronger purchase intention than graphic UGC, and that perceived value acts as a mediator between the type of UGC and purchase intention. Perceived psychological distance mediates the type of UGC and perceived value. Additionally, the type of UGC creator and disclosure of experiential information influence consumer purchase decisions across different contexts. These findings enrich our understanding of the conditions under which the type of UGC affects purchase intention. Our research contributes theoretically to our understanding of how UGC influences consumer purchase intention and, practically, by offering insights for e-commerce development.