How livestreaming increases product sales: role of trust transfer and elaboration likelihood model

ABSTRACT

With the ever-increasing popularity of livestreaming commerce, understanding how livestreaming contributes to online consumption becomes crucial to social commerce. However, studies pertain to livestreaming commerce are still at a nascent stage. Based on the elaboration likelihood model and trust transfer theory, we aim to examine the underlying mechanism of how livestreaming influences consumers’ trust building and purchasing intention. The determinants, process and consequences of trust are discussed. More than 545 experienced livestreaming commerce users participated in this study in China. Our findings show two different routes through which consumers’ trust can be built and affect their purchase intention and willingness to pay more. We also verify the trust transfer effect exists from trust in the streamer to trust in product in livestreaming commerce. We hope this study will bring more insight into trust and the underlying mechanism of how livestreaming increases product sales.

KEYWORDS:

• Livestreaming commerce
• elaboration likelihood model
• trust transfer theory
• purchase intention
• willingness to pay more

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions on this paper. This research was also sponsored by K.C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University and Fundamental Research Funds from College of Science & Technology, Ningbo University (No. YK202004).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).