What Drives Consumers’ Purchase Decisions?: User-and Marketer-generated Content

Abstract

Consumers have an increasingly active role in the marketing cycle, using social media channels to create, distribute, and consume digital content. In this context, this paper investigates the impact of user- and marketer-generated content on consumer purchase intentions and the approach to designing an effective social media marketing platform. Referencing a literature review of social media marketing and consumer purchase intentions, a case study of the social media-marketing platform, 0.8L, was undertaken using both qualitative and quantitative results through content analysis and a participatory survey. First, about 450 consumer reviews for ten sunscreen products posted on the 0.8L platform were compared with products’ marketer-generated content. Next, 55 subjects participated in a survey regarding purchase intentions toward moisturizing creams on the 0.8L platform. The results indicated that user-generated content (i.e., texts and photos) provided more personal experiences of the product usage process, whereas marketers focused on distinctive product photos and features. Moreover, customer reviews (particularly high volume and narrative format) had more impact on purchase decisions than marketer information in the online cosmetics market. Real users’ honest reviews (both positive and negative) were found to aid companies’ prompt and straightforward assessment of newly released products. In addition to the importance of customer-driven marketing practices, distinctive user experience design features of a competitive social media-marketing platform are identified to facilitate the creation and sharing of sincere customer reviews that resonate with potential buyers.