The influence of host characteristics on impulsive online purchases by consumers: Examining the effects of flow experience and independent self-construal

Abstract

Purpose: The professional integrity of e-commerce livestream hosts is crucial, as they function as intermediaries connecting businesses and consumers. The research investigates how the characteristics of e-commerce livestream hosts influence the mechanisms behind consumers’ impulsive motivations for online purchases. The goal is to propose targeted managerial insights for the e-commerce livestreaming sector, fostering robust and sustainable growth. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research targets Chinese consumers engaged in online livestream shopping, utilising a quantitative research methodology through a questionnaire survey. Data was collected through the dissemination of online questionnaires on e-commerce platforms, resulting in 683 valid sample responses collected between July and August 2023. Findings: Analyzing the data reveals that anchor characteristics positively impact consumers’ impulsive online purchases and, concurrently, positively influence the consumers’ level of flow experience. Conversely, the consumers’ flow experience level positively impacts their impulsive online purchases, with the flow experience serving as a partial mediator. Additionally, the independent self-concept moderates the process where anchor characteristics positively influence consumers’ tendencies for impulsive online purchases, augmenting its effectiveness. Conclusion: Anchor characteristics directly impact consumers’ impulsive online purchases and can also indirectly boost consumers’ impulsive online purchases by enhancing their flow experience. Practical Implications: The present study explores which e-commerce livestream hosts impact consumers’ impulsive online purchasing behaviours, offering insights for future research. Additionally, by exploring the impact factors of e-commerce livestream hosts’ characteristics on consumers’ impulsive online purchasing behaviours, this research provides theoretical suggestions for livestream hosts, offers guidance for consumers, and serves as a reference for businesses to enhance their livestreaming strategies.