Abstract

Product usage tutorials are central to social commerce, yet little is known about whether the same tutorial information persuades consumers differently when it is generated by brands or by peer users. Drawing on the Persuasion Knowledge Model and cue consistency theory, this study examines how brand-generated tutorials (BGTs) and user-generated tutorials (UGTs) influence purchase intention, and how trust, brand image, and cross-source content similarity shape these effects. Two between-subjects experiments were conducted in the context of cosmetics tutorials on Rednote. Study 1 used a 3 (tutorial source: BGT, UGT, none) × 2 (brand image: high, low) design; Study 2 compared high BGT–UGT similarity, low similarity, and UGT-only conditions. Results show that both BGTs and UGTs increase purchase intention relative to no tutorial, with UGTs producing a stronger effect. Trust mediates the effect of UGTs but not BGTs, while brand image does not moderate source effects. In co-presence conditions, high BGT–UGT similarity strengthens purchase intention, whereas low similarity weakens it. These findings identify source-level commercial intent as a boundary condition for trust formation and show that cross-source cue consistency determines whether brand tutorials validate or undermine peer-generated guidance.

IPC Classification

Keywords