USER-GENERATED CONTENT AND DELIVERY PERFORMANCE: EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF USEFULNESS AND CREDIBILITY ON DELIVERY RELIABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY IN NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between user-generated content and delivery performance of non-alcoholic food and beverage firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of usefulness and credibility of user-generated content on delivery reliability and delivery flexibility. The study was anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which explains how perceived usefulness and credibility influence information adoption and decision-making. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted, and data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 384 respondents, out of which 312 were retrieved and found usable, representing a response rate of 81.25%. The data collected were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient with the aid of statistical software. The findings revealed that usefulness of user-generated content has a strong positive and significant relationship with delivery reliability (r = 0.681, p < 0.05) and a very strong relationship with delivery flexibility (r = 0.862, p < 0.05). Similarly, credibility of user-generated content showed strong positive and significant relationships with delivery reliability (r = 0.674, p < 0.05) and delivery flexibility (r = 0.621, p < 0.05). Based on these results, all null hypotheses were rejected. The study concluded that user-generated content significantly enhances delivery performance, and that firms that leverage useful and credible customer feedback are more likely to improve their logistics operations. The study recommends that firms should actively monitor and integrate user-generated content into their operational decision-making processes to improve delivery reliability and flexibility.