Unveiling the Power of Live Streaming: Key Drivers of Consumer Purchase Intentions in Thailand
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Abstract
This study aims to analyze the influence of live streamers' personal attributes namely physical attractiveness, professionalism, popularity, interactivity, and customer empathy on consumers’ purchase intention in Thailand’s livestream e-commerce market, and to examine the mediating role of trust in the live streamer in the relationship between these attributes and purchase intention. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, the study employed a quantitative approach, collecting data from 435 respondents via a structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis. The findings indicate that professionalism, popularity, and customer empathy have significant positive effects on purchase intention. Trust in the live streamer plays a key mediating role, enhancing the indirect effects of these attributes. Customer empathy referring to the live streamer’s ability to understand and relate to consumers’ emotions was found to be the most influential factor both directly and indirectly. In contrast, physical attractiveness and interactivity did not exhibit statistically significant effects. These results highlight the importance of internal qualities over external traits in influencing consumer behavior. Businesses can apply these findings to strategically select or train live streamers who possess high empathy and professionalism to improve consumer trust and increase purchase intention.
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