The emergence and rapid adoption of live-stream commerce have fundamentally changed digital consumption patterns, particularly in China, where this format integrates real-time broadcasting, social interaction, and e-commerce into a seamless and intera...
The emergence and rapid adoption of live-stream commerce have fundamentally changed digital consumption patterns, particularly in China, where this format integrates real-time broadcasting, social interaction, and e-commerce into a seamless and interactive purchasing experience. Despite the exponential growth of this phenomenon, scholarly understanding of how live-stream commerce facilitates customer experience and how such experience influences consumer behavior remains fragmented. To address this gap, this research undertakes a comprehensive investigation into the antecedents and outcomes of customer experience in live-stream commerce through two interconnected empirical studies grounded in comprehensive theoretical frameworks.
The first study is underpinned by socio-technical systems theory and examines the antecedents of multidimensional customer experience in live-stream commerce. Specifically, this study identifies three critical aspects that shape the customer journey: streamer credibility (attractiveness, trustworthiness, expertise), customer-to-customer interaction (interpersonal and product interactions), and platform IT affordances (visibility, metavoicing, triggered attending, and trading affordances). Drawing on a quantitative survey conducted across a diverse Chinese consumer base, the first study conceptualizes customer experience as a multidimensional construct encompassing sensory, cognitive, affective, behavioral, and relational dimensions. The findings reveal that each socio-technical component significantly contributes to different dimensions of customer experience, illustrating the importance of treating live-stream commerce as a socio-technical ecosystem where human actors and technological affordances are deeply intertwined. This study advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating that customer experience in live-stream commerce arises from the interdependent functioning of social and technical elements and highlights the necessity of a holistic, multi-touchpoint approach to examining digital customer experiences.
The second study, grounded in social exchange theory, investigates the consequences of customer experience by focusing on two critical post-purchase behavioral outcomes: positive word-of-mouth and repurchase intention. Although prior research has extensively explored initial consumer behaviors such as purchase intention, impulsive buying, and engagement, relatively little attention has been devoted to post-purchase behaviors, which are critical for ensuring the sustainability of live-stream commerce. The second study addresses this gap by positioning customer experience as a key determinant of these post-purchase behaviors and introducing swift guanxi, a culturally specific construct reflecting rapid interpersonal bonding, as a novel moderator. Swift guanxi is conceptualized in terms of mutual understanding, reciprocal favor, and relationship harmony, reflecting the dynamic and spontaneous relational norms prevalent in live-stream commerce in China. Using a second quantitative study with a similar respondent base, the analysis confirms that customer experience enhances both repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth. Furthermore, swift guanxi positively moderates these relationships, such that higher levels of guanxi strengthen the effects of customer experience on both positive word-of-mouth and repurchase intention. This finding reveals the importance of culturally embedded interpersonal dynamics in shaping customer behavior in live-stream commerce.
Collectively, this research offers several important theoretical contributions. First, it advances understanding by examining both its antecedents and consequences, thereby providing a comprehensive perspective that spans from initial interaction to post-purchase behavior. Second, it extends the application of socio-technical systems theory in the context of live-stream commerce by demonstrating how the interplay between social actors and technological affordances jointly shapes multidimensional customer experiences. Third, it broadens the scope of social exchange theory by demonstrating that experience-based exchanges significantly predict post-purchase behaviors in live-stream commerce. Moreover, it enriches the theoretical framework by introducing swift guanxi as a culturally embedded moderating variable, thereby offering deeper insight into consumer decision-making processes within the Chinese market. From a practical standpoint, the findings provide actionable implications for streamers, platform developers, and digital marketing professionals aiming to improve customer experience and cultivate long-term consumer relationships in live-stream commerce environments.