The Effects of Museum UGC Short-form Video Content Features on Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Audience Satisfaction

This study investigates how content features of museum-related user-generated content (UGC) short-form videos on Douyin shape audience satisfaction and purchase intention toward museum-related products and services. Four dimensions are examined―content usefulness, content accuracy, source expertise, and attractiveness―and their direct and indirect effects are tested via audience satisfaction. Using 167 valid responses, we conducted exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis. Results show that attractiveness, content accuracy, and content usefulness significantly and positively predict purchase intention, whereas source expertise has no significant direct effect. Audience satisfaction significantly increases purchase intention. Mediation tests reveal differentiated mechanisms: accuracy and attractiveness exert both direct and satisfaction-mediated (partial) effects; expertise affects purchase intention only indirectly through satisfaction; the indirect effect of usefulness is not significant, suggesting a primarily direct cognitive route. Overall, the findings distinguish cognitive and affective pathways and provide guidance for museums to optimize UGC by strengthening attractiveness, ensuring informational accuracy, and enhancing experiential satisfaction to stimulate purchase intention.