User-generated content as a decision-support mechanism in high-involvement digital retail: evidence from smart device purchases in Vietnam

Purpose This study examines how distinct characteristics of user-generated content influence online purchase behaviour for smart devices in an emerging Asian digital economy, where young consumers utilise peer-generated information to evaluate both product attributes and e-retail logistics reliability. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model, user-generated content is conceptualised as a multidimensional construct comprising information quality, interaction and creator reputation. Survey data from 372 Vietnamese Gen Z and young Millennial consumers were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling to test sequential relationships between content characteristics, cognitive evaluations, and purchase outcomes. Findings User-generated content affects purchase behaviour indirectly through a sequential cognitive pathway. Information quality and interaction enhance perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, as consumers rely heavily on peer verification to mitigate supply chain and delivery risks. Contrary to traditional source credibility models, creator reputation improves ease of use but does not significantly increase perceived usefulness, indicating a critical pragmatism among young digital consumers who prioritise hard diagnostic evidence over influencer authority. Crucially, online purchase intention strongly and directly translates into purchase behaviour. Originality/value Unlike many digital retail studies that stop at behavioural intention, this research empirically bridges the intention–behaviour gap by measuring actual continuous online purchase behaviour. Furthermore, it extends the Technology Acceptance Model by positioning user-generated content as an uncertainty-reduction mechanism for both technical complexity and logistics fulfilment in high-involvement emerging markets.