An Empirical Investigation of User-Generated Content and Brand Engagement in Online Retail

Abstract

This paper analytically evaluates how User-Generated Content (UGC) can impact brand interaction in online retailing with specific focus on e-commerce customers in India. The rising popularity of online stores like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and Meesho, has made the UGC reviews, ratings, photographs, and short videos a determining factor in consumer interaction. The study objectives were to determine how the dimensions of UGC relate to brand engagement, which types of UGC formats best predict the extent of engagement, and the moderating effects of demographics. A descriptive-analytical design was adopted, which involved the use of structured questionnaire, which was sent to 220 online shoppers in five Indian metropolitan cities. The hypotheses were that UGC credibility, volume, and visual richness had a significant impact on cognitive, affective, and behavioural engagement. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression in SPSS v.26 were used to analyse data. Results revealed that UGC credibility (β = 0.421, p < 0.001) and visual UGC (β = 0.387, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of brand engagement, with R² = 0.612. There was a much higher engagement score among female and Gen-Z shoppers. The paper finds that genuine and visually abundant UGC is essential to maintain brand engagement within competitive online retailing environment in India.

Keywords: User-Generated Content, Brand Engagement, Online Retail, E-commerce, Consumer Behaviour.