Does Peer Buyer Attractiveness in Customer-Generated Images Impact E-Commerce Apparel Purchase Intentions?

Customer-generated images (CGIs) on e-commerce platforms drive consumer decisions, but their precise impact on purchase intention remains under-explored, especially considering diverse levels of peer-buyer attractiveness (PBA) in apparel CGIs. To investigate this, we conducted five experiments involving female apparel shoppers (N1a = 230, N2a = 240, N2b =252, N3 = 284) and undergraduates (N1b = 95), employing experimental-causal-chain and measurement-of-mediation designs. Study 1 assessed PBA's effect on purchase intention, Study 2 explored self-referencing as a mediator, and Study 3 comprehensively evaluated a chain-mediation model. Hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: CGIs negatively influence purchase intention (a) and CGIs with low PBA lead to lower purchase intention than those with high PBA (b). Hypothesis 2: CGIs positively influence self-referencing (a) and CGIs with low PBA lead to lower self-referencing levels than those with high PBA (b). Hypothesis H3: Self-referencing mediates the effect of PBA on purchase intention. Findings revealed that medium and low PBA in CGIs reduced purchase intentions, mediated by self-referencing. CGIs offer emotional benefits by alleviating body image distress; low PBA proves most effective, while medium PBA is less so. They also provide cognitive advantages by reducing uncertainty consistently across all PBA levels. Notably, chain-mediating effects of self-referencing and body image distress, also self-referencing and uncertainty, were identified between PBA and purchase intention. Hypothesis 4: CGIs alleviate body image distress (a); compared with those with high PBA, CGIs with medium PBA lead to higher body image distress (b), while CGIs with low PBA lead to lower body image distress (c). Hypothesis 5: Body image distress mediates the relationship between PBA and purchase intention. Hypothesis 6: Self-referencing and body image distress plays a chain-mediating role between PBA and purchase intention. Hypothesis 7: CGIs reduce perceived uncertainty (a); CGIs with low PBA are associated with higher uncertainty than those with medium- or high PBA (b). Hypothesis 8: Uncertainty plays a mediating role in PBA's impact on purchase intention (PI). Hypothesis 9: Self-referencing and uncertainty play a chain-mediating role between PBA and purchase intention. Findings revealed that medium and low PBA in CGIs reduced purchase intentions, mediated by self-referencing. CGIs offer emotional benefits by alleviating body image distress; low PBA proves most effective, while medium PBA is less so. They also provide cognitive advantages by reducing uncertainty consistently across all PBA levels. Notably, chain-mediating effects of self-referencing and body image distress, also self-referencing and uncertainty, were identified between PBA and purchase intention.