Title: Influence of perceived usefulness and user generated content on consumer trust to make online purchase decision

Authors: Pavitra Sahai; Pratyush Gupta; Sumukh Hungund

Addresses: Department of Electrical and Electronics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India ' Department of Electrical and Electronics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India ' Department of Humanities and Management, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal-576104, India

Abstract: With the dawn of the 21st century, the field of marketing has completely transformed and restructured the methodology to ensure companies reach their customer. This paper aims to examine the influence of perceived usefulness and user generated content on consumer trust leading to a consumer purchase decision in the context of digital marketing. Firstly, a rigorous literature review is carried out to identify variables and to develop a conceptual framework. Then, the survey respondents are identified through the snowball sampling method, and data is collected through an online survey. SEM is used to analyse the relationship among the study variables. Finally, the data is analysed using Smart PLS 3.0. The results indicate that user-generated content and perceived usefulness influence consumer trust, which influences consumer buying decisions. The insights gained from the study helps the marketing managers in identifying and developing digital marking strategies to build trust among consumers.

Keywords: online purchase decision; perceived usefulness; user generated content; UGC; word of mouth; marketing mix elements; consumer trust.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2024.137257

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2024 Vol.32 No.3, pp.273 - 295

Received: 28 Sep 2020
Accepted: 14 Feb 2021
Published online: 08 Mar 2024 *

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