Live streaming commerce has gained huge popularity by providing real-time demonstrations of products. Although the extant literature has investigated the factors that drive consumer engagement and purchase intention in live streaming commerce, it remains unclear whether and how consumers behave differently in real-time versus pre-recorded live streaming commerce shows. To address this research gap, I draw on the theory of mental imagery to propose our research model. I conducted an eye-tracking study and a lab experiment to test the model. The results indicated that individuals experienced a higher level of arousal when they were watching a real-time live streaming video compared to a recorded video, which, in turn, increased their mental imagery of consuming the product. Furthermore, I...[ Read more ]

Live streaming commerce has gained huge popularity by providing real-time demonstrations of products. Although the extant literature has investigated the factors that drive consumer engagement and purchase intention in live streaming commerce, it remains unclear whether and how consumers behave differently in real-time versus pre-recorded live streaming commerce shows. To address this research gap, I draw on the theory of mental imagery to propose our research model. I conducted an eye-tracking study and a lab experiment to test the model. The results indicated that individuals experienced a higher level of arousal when they were watching a real-time live streaming video compared to a recorded video, which, in turn, increased their mental imagery of consuming the product. Furthermore, I found that the effect of arousal on mental imagery spilled over to complementary products. Finally, I tested the downstream effects of mental imagery on product evaluation, willingness to pay, and purchasing behavior. The results indicated that mental imagery significantly increased evaluation and willingness to pay for both the focal and extra products. While mental imagery did not significantly affect purchasing behavior, it did influence consumers’ decisions by decreasing the regret of buying and increasing the regret of not buying.

Keywords: Live Streaming Commerce, Consumer Behavior, Arousal, Mental Imagery