An interaction–immersion model in live streaming commerce: the moderating role of streamer attractiveness

With the proliferation of live streaming commerce, there is growing evidence that impulse buying within a live shopping context is occurring. In consideration of the interactive nature of live streaming commerce, this paper proposes an interaction–immersion model to investigate factors affecting impulse buying behaviour. The proposed research model assesses the effects of different kinds of interaction (the person–environment interaction, the para-social interaction with streamers, the para-social interaction with other participants) on interaction immersion, and the subsequent response, i.e., impulse buying behaviour of customers. The proposed model is validated using survey data from 358 users of live shopping. The results show that the three dimensions of interaction have positive and significant effects on customers’ interaction immersion, which can affect impulse buying behaviour positively and significantly. Also, streamer attractiveness can positively moderate the effect of interaction immersion on impulse buying behaviour. These findings highlight the vital role of interaction and immersion in encouraging impulse buying behaviour, which can shed light on the design of a better live shopping platform and marketing strategies of sellers.