Customers’ help-seeking propensity and decisions in brands’ self-built live streaming E-Commerce: A mixed-methods and fsQCA investigation from a dual-process perspective

Abstract

In the current competitive e-marketplaces, brands’ self-built live streaming e-commerce (BLSE), which features real-time visibility and synchronous interactivity, has become increasingly popular among enterprises. It has also become a major channel for customers to seek help during the purchasing process. Therefore, how firms can leverage platform-based information technology features to optimally transform customer help seeking into purchase behavior has become a pressing concern. This study contributes to existing research by examining the effects of customers’ help-seeking propensity on different information processing paths. We integrate the mixed-methods design with fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, combining affordance theory and heuristic-systematic model. The results indicate that in BLSE, for customers with dependent help-seeking propensity, the heuristic processing mechanism has stronger effects than the systematic processing mechanism. However, for customers with autonomous help-seeking propensity, the effect of the systematic processing mechanism is stronger. Moreover, there are four coexisting combinations of platform elements that can result in high purchase intentions. Practical implications for future study are provided.