FIRM-CREATED AND USER-GENERATED CONTENT SERVE AS QUALITY SIGNALS: THE CASE OF OCOP PRODUCTS IN VIETNAM

This article examines the role of firm-generated content and user-generated content as quality signals for Vietnam’s OCOP products. Drawing on signaling theory, planned behavior theory, and perceived risk theory, this research investigates how firm-generated content and user-generated content influence perceived quality, perceived sacrifice, and purchase intention for OCOP products. We conduct a survey of 600 university students, using Structural equation modeling (SEM) to analysis; results show that both firm-generated content and user-generated content positively affect perceived quality and purchase intention while reducing perceived sacrifice, confirming their value as effective quality indicators. Furthermore, perceived quality and perceived sacrifice partially mediate the relationships between, firm-generated content, user-generated content and purchase intention. Importantly, Female consumers place greater weight on user-generated content than male consumers. For established brands, firm-generated content has a stronger impact on purchase intention, whereas for emerging brands, user-generated content exerts a more pronounced influence. These findings help managers build effective digital marketing strategies to promote consumers' intention to purchase OCOP products.