The influence of streamers’ physical attractiveness on consumer response behavior: based on eye-tracking experiments

Live streaming marketing has become a popular topic of academic research. However, relatively few studies have been conducted in terms of the physical attractiveness of streamers, and even fewer studies have analyzed the changes in cognitive-emotional mechanisms that affect consumer response behavior. Based on SOR theory and cognitive-emotional system theory, this study proposes a theoretical research model and analyzes the internal mechanism of streamers’ physical attractiveness affecting consumers’ response using a combination of eye-tracking experiments and questionnaires. The results showed that: compared to streamers with lower physical attractiveness, consumers pay longer attention to streamers and products with higher physical attractiveness, and their response behaviors (continued watching intention, continued engagement intention, and purchase intention) are more active; compared to consumers with low involvement, consumers with high involvement pay longer attention to the product and perceive the process for a longer period of time; and quasi-social interaction and the flow experience play the role of a chain mediator between streamers’ physical attractiveness and consumers’ response behaviors. This study not only has certain theoretical significance for expanding the applicable boundaries of the physical appearance halo effect, but also has important practical significance for live broadcasting e-commerce companies to effectively adopt visual marketing and enhance customer retention.