Livestreamed tourism shopping: consumers’ attitudes and behaviors

Purpose This study aims to investigate how source attractiveness (including platform credibility, product appeal and streamer attractiveness) and information quality impact viewers’ cognition and flow state. Additionally, it examines how these factors influence the development of consumer attitudes and behaviors toward livestreamed tourism shopping, as well as the moderating roles of perceived risk and personal characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods research design was used. In addition to a literature review, 15 interviews were conducted to identify measurement items for the subsequent questionnaire survey. Sample 1 (n = 209) was used to refine these measurement items, whereas Sample 2 (n = 227) was used to evaluate the measurement model and test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Findings reveal that source attractiveness (streamer attractiveness, tourism product attractiveness and platform credibility) and information quality significantly influence customers’ behavior formation, with cognition and flow state acting as mediators. Findings further confirm the moderating effect of perceived risk in a livestreamed shopping environment. Practical implications The findings provide new insights into how consumers select livestreamed shopping platforms. As viewers assess the credibility and trustworthiness of each component to form their perception of the overall platform’s credibility, companies should market their products through credible platforms, studios and stores with extensive reach. It is also critical to collaborate with streamers who are sincere, trustworthy, knowledgeable and professional. Since perceived risk lowers consumer behavioral intentions, live streamers, platforms and merchants should offer convincing and credible arguments to alleviate viewers’ perceived risks. Originality/value This study advances the literature on livestreamed shopping by broadening the conceptualization of source attractiveness to include three dimensions: streamer attractiveness, product attractiveness and platform attractiveness. Furthermore, it differentiates itself from existing studies by integrating and adopting multidimensional measurements of cognition (perceived usefulness and ease of use) and flow state (control, enjoyment, curiosity and concentration).