How does a mismatch between users’ reviews and product experience change customers’ behavior? an empirical study on cosmetic products

Abstract

User-generated content (UGC) has surged alongside the rise of social media and offering substantial benefits for brands, merchants, and customers. By applying Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT), this study examines the above-mentioned differences, as well as studies the mechanism of customer behavior after negative experiences with advertised products via UGC. The research sample was selected using the convenience sampling method. After the survey process, a total of 355 responses were received from participants in this survey. The findings show that the difference between brand-related UGC and the customer's own product experience has a significant impact on cognitive discrepancy and dissonance, leading to product dissatisfaction, turning to brand hate, and resulting in brand avoidance and brand switching. The moderating role of risk importance is also emphasized and verified in the relationship between brand-related UGC as well as product experiences and cognitive discrepancy. Our research findings contribute to the literature on consumer behavior between beliefs about UGC and experiences with products advertised through UGC, highlighting the role of disconfirmation, cognitive discrepancy, and dissonance, and improving generalizability by contributing additional consumer behavior findings in Vietnam. Furthermore, this paper provides organizations with insights into the formation of customers' behavior after watching UGC and recommends companies for promoting the UGC trend and effectively creating UGC to improve customer experience with the product assist the company in making effective use of UGC.