The impact of livestreaming e-commerce on consumer purchase intention in China

Purpose Livestreaming e-commerce has transformed traditional online shopping by offering consumers a novel experience that combines entertainment, immersion and real-time interaction. This approach not only attracts more traffic to brands and e-commerce platforms, but also reshapes consumer behavior. Using evidence from China, this research aims to investigate how the livestreaming business model affects consumers’ purchase intentions (PI). Design/methodology/approach This study collected 406 valid questionnaire responses in China to test the relationships between important stimuli and consumers’ PI on livestreaming platforms, considering the impact of gender differences and consumer trust. Findings Our main findings include (1) price concessions and frequency of interaction in livestreaming platforms positively affect PI; (2) anchors’ attributes negatively affect PI; (3) Female consumers are more affected by anchors’ attributes, but less impacted by price concessions and frequency of interaction; (4) consumer trust in e-commerce moderates PI by enhancing the impact of price concessions while reducing the need for frequent interactions, simplifying product decisions and emphasizing brand reputation and positive word-of-mouth. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by examining the impact of livestreaming e-commerce platform stimuli on consumers’ PI, deepening our understanding of the different types of stimuli on online platforms. The findings offer valuable insights for both research and practice, emphasizing the need for tailored marketing strategies to better engage consumers.