Purpose This study aims to examine how functional user-generated content (UGCF) and emotional user-generated content (UGCE) influence consumer behavior in social commerce by integrating the elaboration likelihood model with the theory of planned behavior (TPB), incorporating key psychological determinants such as attitudes toward UGC (ATT), subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. It further explores the moderating role of gender within the underlying psychological process. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design was used using survey data collected from 407 social commerce users. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling, incorporating sequential mediation and multigroup analysis to examine gender-based differences. Findings The results indicate that UGCF and UGCE influence consumer behavior through a sequential mediation process, with attitudes toward UGC serving as the primary mediator and behavioral intention as the subsequent mediator, ultimately leading to actual behavior. In addition, gender moderates relationships within the TPB, with stronger effects during the formation of intention than in the intention–behavior link. Practical implications The findings suggest that marketers should focus on designing UGC that enhances consumer attitudes, as these play a central role in translating message characteristics into behavioral outcomes. Tailoring strategies based on gender differences, particularly during the intention formation stage, can further improve the effectiveness of social commerce initiatives. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by integrating message-level UGC characteristics with psychological determinants from TPB, offering a process-based explanation of consumer behavior in social commerce. It also refines understanding of stage-specific gender differences, highlighting when individual differences are most influential.
Chong et al. (Tue,) studied this question.