USER-GENERATED CONTENT ON PURCHASE INTENTION FOR FASHION PRODUCTS: A STUDY ON WOMEN CONSUMERS IN BANGALORE

Abstract

Today's perpetually connected consumers have taken control of the marketers' message. They decide where, when, and how they want to engage with brands. They widely share their experiences-good, bad, and in between-on the products they use and the brands they love. These communications are highly influential because they are more trusted than typical brand messaging. But many marketers have yet to realize the brand building power of this immature but influential marketing discipline. To fulfill user-generated content's brand building potential, marketing leaders must solicit authentic, value-added content from their customers and measure results to build maturity. Regardless of the perceived level of confidence in a product choice, there always exists some level of insecurity in that decision among consumers. For many consumers, User generated content provides that final litmus test to feeling that a right choice was made or the wrong one avoided. Younger consumers are significantly more likely than older consumers to mention that User generated content is "Extremely/Very" influential when making a purchasing decision. Conversely, older consumers rely more on word of mouth and consumers/industrial reports than younger consumers.

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International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
www.ijsser.org Copyright © IJSSER 2019, All rights reserved Page 5483
USER-GENERATED CONTENT ON PURCHASE INTENTION FOR
FASHION PRODUCTS: A STUDY ON WOMEN CONSUMERS IN
BANGALORE
Prof. Aravinda Reddy M N
Assistant Professor, Ramaiah Institute of Management
ABSTRACT
Today’s perpetually connected consumers have taken control of the marketers’ message. They
decide where, when, and how they want to engage with brands. They widely share their
experiences — good, bad, and in between — on the products they use and the brands they love.
These communications are highly influential because they are more trusted than typical brand
messaging. But many marketers have yet to realize the brand building power of this immature
but influential marketing discipline. To fulfill user-generated content’s brand building potential,
marketing leaders must solicit authentic, value-added content from their customers and measure
results to build maturity.
Regardless of the perceived level of confidence in a product choice, there always exists some
level of insecurity in that decision among consumers. For many consumers, User generated
content provides that final litmus test to feeling that a right choice was made or the wrong one
avoided. Younger consumers are significantly more likely than older consumers to mention that
User generated content is “Extremely/Very” influential when making a purchasing decision.
Conversely, older consumers rely more on word of mouth and consumers/industrial reports than
younger consumers.
Keywords: User-Generated Content, Purchase Intention, Women Consumers
INTRODUCTION
Retail in India has gone through significant changes over the past decade. Consumers are
stringent, value- conscious, and clear in terms of their preference of brand or retailers when it
comes to purchases. From just being a “consumer” of a product or service, today’s consumers
demand a say in the design, manufacture, and outreach of the products that they intend to
purchase. The emergence of the “prosumer” or the consumer who is also partly the producer of
the product, poses sufficient rethink for marketers to strategize their marketing plans. Herein,

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
www.ijsser.org Copyright © IJSSER 2019, All rights reserved Page 5484
they find new web-enabled technologies to be an ideal interface for evolving consumers in not
just the product, but in all 4P’s of marketing. The consumer integrates with the producer on the
Product through concepts such as co-creation; on the Place (or distribution) through
crowdsourcing; on Pricing through e-auctions; and on the Promotions through online user-
generated media. In all such cases, the consumer acts as an active participant in the marketing
process for the brand in the question.
User-generated content of social media has become the new currency, “the gold” in social media.
The importance of user-generated content in the world of marketing, branding, and advertising is
its capacity to influence purchase decisions, brand affinity, and brand loyalty. User-generated
content ranges from videos to photos to product commentary. The use of user-generated content
(UGC) has emerged as an important component of the content marketing mix. Used by
publishers, marketers and agencies alike, and driven by the surge of digital platforms, websites
and technologies, UGC can provide an effective and compelling way to engage with consumers.
Fashion industry is one of the businesses where frequent changes occur and social media is the
most convenient and cheapest mean to communicate. The emergence of social media has
transformed the world and its entire way of functioning, bringing the world and its people closer.
Social media refers to activities, practices, and behaviors among groups of people who gather
online to share information, experiences and perspectives using colloquial media.
One industry which is considered to be perfectly suited and naturally fit for social media is
Fashion. When we talk about social media for the fashion industry it refers to the social
networking websites and other online platforms that enable the fashion industry to connect with
their customers using the latest social networking technology. The fashion Industry is using
social media to study trends and anticipate fashion behaviors. It is embracing social media which
has enabled it to emerge in the forefront as a phenomenon. The development of social
networking website such as Face book, Twitter has created a new muse among the Factionists.
From the fashion blogs to the live streaming of catwalk shows, from the main fashion weeks to
the social shopping we get diversity of opinions on different places through face book, twitter
and other social networking websites. It has become a most important runway for the fashion
industry. The power and influence of social media on fashion industry is undeniable.
While this integration has clearly been a game changer for most businesses, online media has
brought key impetus to the fashion industry. Fashion products, given the quick turnaround time
necessitated due to seasonal and trend-based changes, are dynamically moving towards shorter
lead-times and faster mind-to-market solutions the growing number of players in this business
has placed the consumer at the center of the product creation process.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
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Consumer generated or user generated promotion has been a concept practiced for fashion
businesses since times before the advent of online media. Traditional word of mouth (WOM) has
been a source of credible information for fashion products. However, the presence of Web 2.0
technologies has clearly enabled a wider dissemination of this content.
UGC is all about the users creating content. They’re unpaid and do it for a number of reasons,
whether it’s to share their experience, build a connection with like-minded people, or to be in
with a chance of winning something. It is considerably cheaper than forking out thousands or
even millions for prime-time TV commercials and Times Square billboards.
Customer-orientated businesses are on the rise, because companies constantly have to keep up
with the changing trends of their audiences. In this fast-paced, digitally-run world, attention-
spans can be snapped away with the click of a fingers. If brands aren’t catering solely to their
customers, their customers will simply find another brand that is.
The beauty of UGC is that the users run the show, while marketers don’t have to empty their
pockets on campaigns that may or may not perform well. Authenticity is so important in today’s
online world. Customers are no longer the passive consumers led by TV commercials and
billboards. Instead, they’re active choosers of their own fate and want a say in who they do and
don’t buy from.
User-Generated Content
User generated content (UGC) or also known as electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) works
exactly like common word of mouth except that it spreads input through an online medium. By
definition, UGC refers to any own created material uploaded to the Internet by non-media and it
has a greater influence on people’s consumption where the contents are generally being shared
on social media such as on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
UGC is any positive or negative statement made by potential, actual, or former customers about
a product or company, which is made available to a multitude of people and institutions via the
Internet. Compared to producer–generated content (PGC) that usually hired endorsers and
celebrities to speak the advantages and benefits of the products. Consumers have turned away
from the common promotion practices as they have perceived UGC as more credible. The shared
contents in UGC are based on consumers’ own experiences. As such, it is proven to be more
trustworthy, useful and unbiased. Potential consumers trust the content generated by other users
in regards to brands and products mainly because they perceive the users do not have any
commercial interest. Thus, online consumers always rely on the content generated by other users
to assist them in making a purchase decision.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
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User generated content can be defined in multiple parameters. It is defined as a variety of new
sources of online information that are created, initiated, circulated and used by consumer intent
on educating each other about products, brands, services, personalities, and issues. In a media
environment, consumers produce, design, publish, or edit content that makes this medium vibrant
and attractive. Under various nomenclatures such as consumer generated content (CGC), user
generated content (UGC), and customer created content (CCC), this content in online media
involves consumers who generate content for the online medium under no monetary benefits.
 Key benefits of User Generated Content
 Heightened Consumer Trust
 Stronger Brand Affinity and Engagement
 More Earned Media
 Stronger SEO
 New Research Opportunities
 Cost-efficient Content Pipeline
Use of User-Generated Content in Online Media for Fashion Categories
The fashion business entails category-wise management, and hence marketers may be interested
in analyzing the kind of user-generated content is preferred for each fashion category.
 Casual wear is a category that caters to the maximum number of consumers in the fashion
business.
 Watches are a part of the fast emerging group in fashion accessories, making them less of
a functional instrument more of a status symbol. This category is besieged with many
sub-categories, including formal watches sports and active categories, specialized
watches and ethnic watches.
 Formal wear covers fashion products, which comply with certain norms of dressing as
indicated by the social circle of the consumer. Products such as trousers, shirts, formal
skirts, shoes, blazers, and so forth are examples of this category. Formal wear is usually
limited to workspaces, and may be indicative of the profession or social standing of the
wearer.
 Footwear is a fashion category covers multiple retail formats-from-high-end footwear
brands like Jimmy Choo to localized craft based products like Kolhapuri chappals.
 Ethnic wear is a high value category for Indian market, with consumers ready to spend on
this category to meet their requirements for occasion wear. Currently, product categories
like salwar-kameez-dupattas (SKDs), kurtas and churidars are also seen as being part of
this category.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Nithya Venkataraman & Sreedhara Raman, 2016
The advent of online media has been instrumental in providing consumers with quick, relevant,
and convenient information on products and services. The success of such media has been
established for businesses such as tourism, automobile, and consumer electronics- wherein
consumers tend to decide on final purchases based on user - generated content (UGC) such as
customer reviews and feedback rather than on traditional advertising media. With short lead
times, quick turnaround of products, and frequent changes in offerings, the fashion industry is
also exploring the use of such user-generated content for marketing its products.
Pervaiz Ali, 2011
Internet marketing is conceptually different from other marketing channels and internet promotes
a one to one communication between the seller and the end user with round the clock customer
service. Today, business internet marketing is the fastest growing segment of online commerce.
The major difference between traditional and online selling is the extent of interaction between
the consumer and the seller. There is much more electronic interactivity with the consumer in the
form of emails and FAQs. Through FAQs, the consumer’s questions on shipment, payment,
product, policies and other customer concerns can be addressed effectively.
Fandos & Flavian, 2006; Halim & Hameed, 2005
Purchase intention is the implied promise to one’s self to buy the product again whenever one
makes next trip to the market. It has a substantial importance because the companies want to
increase the sale of specific product for the purpose to maximize their profit. Purchase intention
depicts the impression of customer retention. There are certain functions of the brand, which
have a strong influence on the purchase intention of the customers i.e. brand image, product
quality, product knowledge, product involvement, product attributes and brand loyalty.
Gigi De Vault, 2016
User-generated content of social media has become the new currency -- the gold -- in social
media. The importance of user-generated content in the world of marketing, branding, and
advertising is its capacity to influence purchase decisions, brand affinity, and brand loyalty.
Yuling Bai, Cong Li, Jishun Niu 2016
With the development of other online shopping platforms, the concept of online clothing brands
continues to broaden. This concept refers to clothing brands that are sold online without a

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
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physical store. To differentiate themselves from others, some online shopping platforms have
developed themselves into a brand incubation base to help online brands grow rapidly. Viewed
from the current development, the concept of online clothing brands is also undergoing changes.
Clothing brands that began online have started to set up their own physical stores and have begun
to achieve an operational mode of “e-commerce + physical store business”. A new era that
features the combination of online and offline business has begun.
Cleveland and Laroche, 2007
Globalization has catalyzed the growth of fashion industry and the marketplace attractions have
driven the cultural attributes of consumers significantly across various consumer segments.
Shifts in the cultural values, consumer preferences, and purchase intentions towards designer
products is arguably the most critical issue faced by the marketing managers today. Many
researchers argue that increasing globalization is reducing the homogeneity of consumer
behaviors within countries, while increasing communalities across countries.
Horowitz, 2009
Most firms manufacturing designer apparel are trying to bridge intercultural differences and
building cultural consonance across consumer segments on a variety of contexts that stimulates
interest in fashion apparel. Customer centric market strategy developed on self-esteem attributes
of consumer is used by the firms to enhance purchase intentions towards fashion apparel.
OBJECTIVES
1. To identify the factors that influence the usage of online media by fashion products.
2. To analyze the effectiveness of user generated content on the purchase of customers in
Bangalore.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Industry: Fashion Industry
Products: Apparel- Casualwear, watches, Apparel- Formalwear, Footwear, Apparel- Ethnic,
Lingerie, Home Furnishing, Jewelry, Eyewear, Home Décor, Bags, Clutches, Wallets, Scarves
and stole
HYPOTHESIS
H0: Factors of User-Generated Content do not have a significant impact on the purchase
intention of consumers for the fashion product categories.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
www.ijsser.org Copyright © IJSSER 2019, All rights reserved Page 5489
H1: Factors of User-Generated Content have a significant impact on the purchase intention of
consumers for the fashion product categories.
METHODOLOGY
Research Design: Descriptive study
Sample unit: People using online for purchasing fashion products
Sample size: Population of his research are women who are living in Bangalore keeping in view
the limitation of time and resources, to take the sample size is up to 100.
Average, Percentages, and regression are used to find out the impact on the purchase intention of
consumers for the fashion product categories.
Table 1: Category-wise Online Media Reference
Apparel-
Casualwear
Apparel-
Ethnic
Apparel-
Formalwear
Footwear
Watches
Lingerie
Reference
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
Always
21
7
7
15
7
4
Often
31
33
32
31
26
30
Sometimes
41
38
34
36
14
28
Rarely
2
18
18
11
16
16
Never
0
6
9
7
11
22
Total
100
100
100
100
100
100
Reference
Jewelry
Home
Furnishing
Eyewear
Home décor
Scarves and
Stoles
Cosmetics
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
Always
5
8
5
8
3
5
Often
25
25
36
29
32
32
Sometimes
36
35
31
37
36
29
Rarely
16
25
12
14
14
20
Never
19
11
16
12
15
14
Total
100
100
100
100
100
100

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
www.ijsser.org Copyright © IJSSER 2019, All rights reserved Page 5490
It is seen that customers for Apparel -casualwear tended to use user-generated content the most,
followed by watches, ethnic wear, footwear and wallets/clutches/bags
Table 2: Category-wise Online Media Reference
Information
Accuracy
Social Media
Reference
Social
Connectedness
Usage
Influence
Online
Comparison
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
No. of
Respondents
Strongly
agree
17
19
19
14
21
Agree
57
61
55
46
53
Neither
agree nor
Disagree
23
19
22
30
21
Disagree
3
1
4
9
5
Strongly
disagree
0
0
0
1
0
Total
100
100
100
100
Internet is a very rich source of information these days. There is always the possibility that the
information one gets from the internet is either inaccurate or downright false. There have been
questionable contents – information or stories – that came out in the social media. More than half
of the customers find online information more accurate.
The most important factor is Community Feeling and Being updated. User- Generated content
clearly gives these customers not just a chance to purchase products but also helps them retain a
feeling of belonging to a specific community.
Studies have demonstrated that young people often interact with friends using social networking
sites, instant messaging, and mobile phones. The extent to which one feels that one is a part of
one or more social groups, it is sensible that belonging may be fostered through digital mediums.
Social networking plays a vital role in broadening social connections and learning technical
skills, its risks cannot be overlooked. Only the lack or difficulty in self-regulation and
susceptibility to peer pressure makes adolescents vulnerable to evils. Majority of the customers
admit that they use online media due to friends/ family/colleagues’ influences.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
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The comparison feature of online media facilitates the user to compare and contrast the products
available with its competitors and gives a right to choose quality products at its best price.
Table 3: Category-wise Online Media Reference
Online
Media
as a
Platfor
m of
Express
ion
Compa
rison
Advant
age
Shoppi
ng
Experie
nce
Online
Media
Reliabil
ity
Quality
Assess
ment
Inform
ation
Prior to
Purcha
se
Ease of
Understa
nding
Online
Media
Interacti
on with
Advertise
ments
Usefulnes
s of
Online
Informat
ion v/s
Advertise
ments
Online
Media
Informa
tion
Availabi
lity with
Advertis
ements
No. of
Respon
dents
No. of
Respon
dents
No. of
Respon
dents
No. of
Respon
dents
No. of
Respon
dents
No. of
Respond
ents
No. of
Respond
ents
No. of
Respond
ents
No. of
Respon
dents
Strongly
agree
20
26
12
10
8
10
13
15
15
Agree
50
50
60
46
50
60
63
51
51
Neither
agree
nor
Disagree
23
20
20
38
33
20
19
31
31
Disagree
7
4
8
6
9
10
5
2
2
Strongly
disagree
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Total
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
The internet as a public sphere encourages discussions of political issues and disagreement
expression, which is a necessity to form public opinion.
The comparison feature of online platform allows for quick and easy comparison between
different offering’s features and characteristics.
Based on the survey, customers have a better and reliable experiences online. Retailers still have
a long way to go toward meeting consumer expectations, particularly when it comes to the post-
purchase experience for online shoppers.
Online users make clear distinctions between different sources of information. People are much
more trusting of news websites, and far more skeptical of the accuracy in personal weblogs.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
Volume: 04, Issue: 08 "August 2019"
www.ijsser.org Copyright © IJSSER 2019, All rights reserved Page 5492
Quality and product experience quoted by online users facilitates the purchase decision of the
customers.
Customers find it easier to understand online information than advertisement. Advertisement is a
sort of day-dreaming for the people. These days it is taking the people away from reality and into
the realm of artificiality. People tend to believe that the experiences from other users could be
more reliable than fancy advertisements.
Customers find that online information is more interactive than advertisements. Interactive
online websites facilitate users to express their feelings towards the product or services.
Majority of the customers find online information more useful than advertisements.
More than half of the customers find online information more available than advertisements.
HYPOTHESIS TESTING
H0: Factors of User-Generated Content do not have a significant impact on the purchase
intention of consumers for the fashion product categories.
H1: Factors of User-Generated Content have a significant impact on the purchase intention of
consumers for the fashion product categories.
Testing Tool: Regression Analysis
Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
t
Sig.
B
Std. Error
Beta
Ease_in_understanding
.610
.084
.623
7.243
.000
Useful_information
.311
.087
.308
3.584
.001
a. Dependent Variable: Purchase_intention
Consumers have turned away from the common promotion practices as they have perceived
UGC as more credible. User-generated content is easy to understand as it is generally created
outside of professional routines and practices. It often does not have an institutional or a
commercial market context.
User-generated content facilitates the purchase intention of customers based on the inputs,
experiences, loyalty etc. towards the products/services. UGC could be a positive or a negative
feedback. Based on the study conducted, it is found that women consumers are more reliable to
the reviews and feedback that they encountered against the products/services.

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
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Since the significance value is less than .005, reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative
hypothesis.
The study concluded that the factors of User-Generated Content have a significant impact on the
purchase intention of consumers for the fashion product categories.
FINDINGS
 The influence of technology in people is be high.
 The comparison feature of online media facilitates the user to compare and contrast the
products available with its competitors and gives a right to choose quality products at its
best price.
 Online users make clear distinctions between different sources of information. People are
much more trusting of news websites, and far more skeptical of the accuracy in personal
weblogs.
 Quality and product experience quoted by online users facilitates the purchase decision of
the customers.
 Customers find it easier to understand online information than advertisement.
 Customers find that online information is more interactive than advertisements.
Interactive online websites facilitate users to express their feelings towards the product or
services.
 Online information more useful than advertisements.
 Online information more available than advertisements.
CONCLUSION
Man is a social animal, and the business of fashion not only caters to the physical and aesthetic
requirements of its wearer, but is also an important criterion for her social identity. Likewise, it is
not surprising to note when a consumer looks for user-generated content, her purchases are most
likely influenced by content that satisfies her social needs. For casual wear brands, content that
creates an online community needs to be combined with content that is easy to access. The
consumer for this category is looking for products of frequent use and hence content that is easy
to obtain becomes a pre-requisite for enhancing purchase intention. For watches, it is important
for the consumer to be aware of quality parameters, considering long shelf-life of the product.
Marketers would need to focus on user-generated content that satisfies these requirements. For
formal wear, consumer is clearly looking for social acceptance. Brands hence need to create and
access user-generated content that makes the consumer feel part of the community. Footwear
brands clearly need to engage their audience in content that gives them social gratification, as
well as keeps them updated on the latest trends. Ethnic wear is a category that clearly needs

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research
ISSN: 2455-8834
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social performance. When engaging with user-generated content, ethnic brands clearly need to
follow the same dictate on giving a sense of social identity to its consumers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 User-generated content can be effectively used by fashion marketers in creating a positive
purchase intention amongst consumers.
 Fashion marketers can encourage the creation of blogs or review communities for their
brands, with a clear focus on the kind of content that is most likely to create a positive
intent for purchase for the specific product category
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Nithya Venkataraman, Sreedhara Raman (2016): “Impact of User-Generated Content”,
Vikas Publushing House, New Delhi.
2. Pervaiz Ali (2011): "Online Shopping Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty”, Lambert
Academic Publishing, Norway.
3. Fandos & Flavian (2006) Halim & Hameed (2005): “Customer Perceptions about
Branding and Purchase Intention”, TextRoad Publication, Pakistan.
4. Gigi De Vault (2016): “Social Media Research - User Generated Content is Gold”, Razorfish
Publishing House, New York.
5. Yuling Bai, Cong Li, Jishun Niu (2016): “Study on Customer Perceived Value”, China.
6. Cleveland and Laroche (2007): “Acculturation to the global consumer culture”, France.
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275714886
8. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
9. https://fashionunited.com
10. https://www.textroad.com
11. https://www.thebalance.com