Exploring the mechanisms of live streaming technology and impulse buying tendencies: Do zero moments of truth value, trust, and emotional engagement matter?

Live streaming e-commerce (LSE) platforms are information systems that blend real-time entertainment with instant purchasing to offer novel experiences to users. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, this study explains how LSE experiences stimulate users’ emotions and impulse buying behavior through a sequential process consisting of primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, and behavioral outcomes. Using a sample drawn from millennial users (18-35 years old), we conducted two studies. In the initial pilot investigation (n = 425), we examined users’ perceptions and behaviors when using LSE platforms; in the main study (n = 200), we explored the potential mediating and moderating factors affecting impulse buying tendencies. Overall, the findings show that LSE affordances predict the zero moment of truth (ZMOT) value on LSE platforms. The results also indicate that both trust in the streamer and emotional engagement play a mediating role in the relationship between ZMOT value and impulse buying tendencies. Finally, we found that trust in the LSE platform plays an important moderating role in strengthening the prediction of impulse buying tendencies. This study concludes with recommendations for future LSE research and practice.