When the thrill lingers: how post-purchase flow consciousness shapes live-stream shopping engagement

Purpose This paper aims to examine how flow consciousness influences engagement, regret and enjoyment in live-streaming commerce, uncovering the emotional mechanisms involved and how lenient return policies moderate these effects. Design/methodology/approach This research used a multi-study approach. Study 1 used experimental recall manipulation comparing high and low flow consciousness groups. Study 2 used a questionnaire survey with path and mediation analysis to explore links between flow consciousness, regret, enjoyment and engagement. Study 3 applied a 2 × 2 experimental design to test the moderation of return policy leniency. Findings Flow consciousness boosts post-purchase engagement, mediated by reduced regret and increased enjoyment. Flow consciousness helps consumers attribute impulse purchases to the enjoyable experience, lowering regret. Return policy leniency moderates these effects, with stricter policies amplifying the impact of flow on engagement, regret and enjoyment. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to variables tested, and self-reported measures. Future research could test alternative models and embrace an integrated approach, combining objective metrics with experimental designs that manipulate factors such as influencer identity, content style and transaction formats. Practical implications Businesses should create immersive platforms that promote flow experiences, increasing post-purchase engagement and reducing regret. Strategic post-purchase communication can help reinforce positive emotions. They should also carefully manage return policies to encourage long-term customer engagement. Originality/value This research advances flow theory in marketing by identifying flow consciousness as a distinct post-purchase mechanism, separate from the immersive flow experience itself. It shows that retrospective recognition of flow shapes post-purchase engagement through affective responses and that these effects intensify under stricter return policies. This is among the first studies to link experiential and policy factors in driving sustained consumer engagement.