Understanding the Relationship between IT Affordance and Consumers’ Purchase Intention in E-Commerce Live Streaming: The Moderating Effect of Gender

Abstract

E-commerce live streaming is becoming increasingly popular in China, attracting great interest from practitioners and researchers. From an IT affordance perspective, this study explores how IT affordances (guidance shopping, triggered attending, and social interaction) impact consumers’ purchase intention in e-commerce live streaming. Moreover, gender is viewed as a moderator between IT affordances and consumers’ perception of trust, and its moderation effect is tested. Data were collected through an online survey in China (n = 266) and analyzed using structural equation model. The analysis results show that guidance shopping, triggered attending, and social interaction can influence consumers’ purchase intention through consumers’ trust and presence. In addition, guidance shopping exerts a greater impact on males’ trust in streamers than females’, while triggered attending exerts a greater impact on females’ trust in streamers than males’. The research conclusion makes a theoretical contribution by highlighting the impact of IT affordance such as triggered attending on purchase intention in e-commerce live streaming and the moderating effect of gender, and also makes practical contributions by guiding sellers or streamers to promote consumers’ purchases.