The impact of parasocial interaction and perceived risk on consumer purchase intention in livestreaming e-commerce
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64138Keywords:
Livestreaming e-commerce, Parasocial interaction, Perceived risk, Consumer purchase intention, Streamer characteristics, Communication styleAbstract
Introduction. Livestreaming e-commerce is a key digital economy driver, yet research lacks a systematic exploration of streamer’s characteristics and communication styles, creating a theoretical gap regarding parasocial interaction and perceived risk.
Method. This study takes parasocial interaction and perceived risk as a theoretical framework to construct a dual-path model. The questionnaire survey (N=296) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are employed to examine the mechanism influencing consumer purchase intention in livestreaming e-commerce.
Results. The findings revealed three main findings: (1) parasocial interaction positively affects consumer purchase intention, while perceived risk has a reverse effect; (2) streamer’s physical attractiveness and credibility can enhance consumer purchase intention through parasocial interaction, but physical attractiveness increases the perceived risk, and credibility reduces the perceived risk; (3) emotional and cognitive communication can promote consumer purchase intention through parasocial interaction, but the effect on perceived risk is not significant.
Conclusion. The study reveals the critical role of streamer initiative in the consumer decision-making process, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing streamer selection, setting up differentiated communication strategies and improving risk regulation. It also expands the application of parasocial interaction and perceived risk theories.
References
Abdelrahman, M. (2022). Personality Traits, Risk Perception, and Protective Behaviors of Arab Residents of Qatar During the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2022), 20(1), 237-248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00352-7
Achar, C., So, J., Agrawal, N., & Duhachek, A. (2016). What we feel and why we buy: the influence of emotions on consumer decision-making. Current Opinion in Psychology, 10, 166-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.01.009
Adamopoulos, P., Ghose, A., & Todri, V. (2018). The Impact of User Personality Traits on Word of Mouth: Text-Mining Social Media Platforms. Information Systems Research, 29(3), 612-640. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0768
Almeida, d., & Neto, M. (2018). Influencer Marketing on Instagram : How Influencer Type and Perceived Risk Impact Choices in the Beauty Industry Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (Portugal). https://www.proquest.com/docview/3059335440?pq-origsite=wos&accountid=27446&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
Ba, S. (2001). Establishing online trust through a community responsibility system. Decision Support Systems. Decision Support Systems, 31(3), 323-336. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167923600001445
Baker, & J., M. (1977). The Impact of Physically Attractive Models on Advertising Evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 14(4), 538. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151194
Biswas, D., Biswas, A., & Das, N. (2006). The Differential Effects of Celebrity and Expert Endorsements on Consumer Risk Perceptions. The Role of Consumer Knowledge, Perceived Congruency, and Product Technology Orientation. Journal of Advertising, 35(2), 17-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2006.10639231
Bohner, G., Einwiller, S., Erb, H. P., & Siebler, F. (2003). When Small Means Comfortable: Relations Between Product Attributes in Two‐Sided Advertising. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(4), 454-463. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1304_12
Bolun, Z., Yan, Z., & Minghui, J. (2024). The configurational impact of e-commerce live streaming interactivity on consumer engagement behavior. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 631-649. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml-03-2024-0271
Cabeza-Ramírez, L. J., Fuentes-García, F. J., Cano-Vicente, M. C., & González-Mohino, M. (2022). How Generation X and Millennials Perceive Influencers’ Recommendations: Perceived Trustworthiness, Product Involvement, and Perceived Risk. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 17(4), 1431-1449. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer17040072
Cabeza-Ramírez, L. J., Sánchez-Cañizares, S. M., Santos-Roldán, L. M., & Fuentes-García, F. J. (2022). Impact of the perceived risk in influencers' product recommendations on their followers' purchase attitudes and intention. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 184, 121997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121997
Changchit, C., Cutshall, R., DeLatte, G., Ibrahimov, A., & Changchit, C. (2024). Exploring Personality Traits’ Impact on Risk Perception in Mobile Payments. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2024.2325417
Chen, C. C., Hsiao, K. L., & Wu, S. J. (2018). Purchase intention in social commerce An empirical examination of perceived value and social awareness. Library Hi Tech, 36(4), 583-604. https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-01-2018-0007
Chen, H., Dou, Y., & Xiao, Y. (2023). Understanding the role of live streamers in live-streaming e-commerce. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 59, 101266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2023.101266
Chen, N., & Yang, Y. (2023). The Role of Influencers in Live Streaming E-Commerce: Influencer Trust, Attachment, and Consumer Purchase Intention. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 18(3), 1601-1618. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer18030081
Chen, T. Y., Yeh, T. L., & Lee, F. Y. (2021). The impact of Internet celebrity characteristics on followers' impulse purchase behavior: the mediation of attachment and parasocial interaction. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(3), 483-501. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-09-2020-0183
Chen, Y.-S., & Huang, S. Y. B. (2016). The effect of task-technology fit on purchase intention: The moderating role of perceived risks. Journal of Risk Research, 20(11), 1418-1438. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2016.1165281
Chew, X., Alnoor, A., Khaw, K. W., Sadaa, A. M., Al Halbusi, H., & Muhsen, Y. R. (2024). Symmetric and asymmetric modeling to boost customers’ trustworthiness in livestreaming commerce. Current Psychology, 43(31), 25874-25892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06200-4
Choi, W., & Lee, Y. (2019). Effects of fashion vlogger attributes on product attitude and content sharing. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-018-0161-1
CNNIC. (2024). The 53th Statistical Report on China‘s Internet Development. https://www.cnnic.net.cn/n4/2024/0322/c88-10964.html
Cohen, J. (1992). A Power Primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155-159. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155
Conway, J. C., & Rubin, A. M. (1991). Psychological predictors of television viewing motivation. Communication Research, 18(4), 443-463. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365091018004001
Deshbhag, R. R., & Mohan, B. C. (2020). Study on influential role of celebrity credibility on consumer risk perceptions. Journal of Indian Business Research, 12(1), 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1108/jibr-09-2019-0264
Duffett, R. G. (2015). Facebook advertising’s influence on intention-to-purchase and purchase amongst Millennials. Internet Research, 25(4), 498-526. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-01-2014-0020
Edelblum, A., Frank, A., & Palmer, J. (2025). The Beauty Backfire Effect: How Extreme Attractiveness Undermines Fitfluencer Relatability and Engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 42(11), 2981-2995. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.70023
Feng, W., Chang, D., & Sun, H. (2022). The impact of social media influencers' bragging language styles on consumers' attitudes toward luxury brands: The dual mediation of envy and trustworthiness. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1113655. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1113655
Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. W. (2015). Interpersonal attraction: In search of a theoretical Rosetta Stone. In APA handbook of personality and social psychology, Volume 3: Interpersonal relations. (pp. 179-210). https://doi.org/10.1037/14344-007
Frederick, E. L., Lim, C. H., Clavio, G., & Walsh, P. (2012). Why We Follow: An Examination of Parasocial Interaction and Fan Motivations for Following Athlete Archetypes on Twitter. International Journal of Sport Communication, 5(4), 481-502. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.5.4.481
Gao, H. (2006). Research on components of consumer perceived risk IEEE International Engineering Management Conference, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4279880/
Garcia, D. (2025). Perceptions of Monica Geller in Friends: A Pilot Study on Personality Frameworks and Parasocial Relationships. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 146-170. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020146
Gunawan, D. D., & Huarng, K.-H. (2015). Viral effects of social network and media on consumers’ purchase intention. Journal of Business Research, 68(11), 2237-2241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.004
Hassanzadeh, M., Taheri, M., Shokouhyar, S., & Shokoohyar, S. (2022). Who one is, whom one knows? Evaluating the importance of personal and social characteristics of influential people in social networks. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 75(6), 1008-1032. https://doi.org/10.1108/ajim-12-2021-0382
Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction; observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Hsu, C.-L., & Lu, H.-P. (2004). Why do people play on-line games? An extended TAM with social influences and flow experience. Information & Management, 41(7), 853-868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2003.08.014
Jin, S. V., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instagram fashionistas, luxury visual image strategies and vanity. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 29(3), 355-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-08-2018-1987
Kao, C. Y., & Huang, C. (2025). Investigating the impact of fear of missing out on inaction inertia in live streaming purchase intention. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 77(6), 1152-1175. https://doi.org/10.1108/ajim-01-2024-0030
Kim, C., & Yang, S.-U. (2017). Like, comment, and share on Facebook: How each behavior differs from the other. Public Relations Review, 43(2), 441-449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.02.006
Kim, E. H., Yoo, D., & Doh, S. J. (2021). Self-construal on brand fan pages: the mediating effect of para-social interaction and consumer engagement on brand loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 28(3), 254-271. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00211-9
Ko, H.-C., & Chen, Z.-Y. (2020). Exploring the Factors Driving Live Streaming Shopping Intention Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Management of e-Commerce and e-Government, https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3409891.3409901
Labrecque, L. I. (2014). Fostering Consumer–Brand Relationships in Social Media Environments: The Role of Parasocial Interaction. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 134-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.003
Lee, J. E., & Watkins, B. (2016). YouTube vloggers' influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5753-5760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.171
Li, Y., Li, X., & Cai, J. (2021). How attachment affects user stickiness on live streaming platforms: A socio-technical approach perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 60, 102478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102478
Li, Z., Zhang, S., Liu, H., & Wu, Q. (2021). Study on the Factors Influencing Users' Purchase Intention on Live-Streaming E-Commerce Platforms: Evidence from the Live-Streaming Platform of TikTok. Journal of China Studies, 24(3), 25-49. https://doi.org/10.20288/jcs.2021.24.3.25
Liao, J., Chen, K., Qi, J., Li, J., & Yu, I. Y. (2022). Creating immersive and parasocial live shopping experience for viewers: the role of streamers' interactional communication style. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 17(1), 140-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-04-2021-0114
Lim, R. E., & Lee, S. Y. (2023). “You are a virtual influencer!”: Understanding the impact of origin disclosure and emotional narratives on parasocial relationships and virtual influencer credibility. Computers in Human Behavior, 148, 107897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107897
Lin, H.-C., Bruning, P. F., & Swarna, H. (2018). Using online opinion leaders to promote the hedonic and utilitarian value of products and services. Business Horizons, 61(3), 431-442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.01.010
Liu, C., Sun, K., & Liu, L. (2023). The Formation and Transformation Mechanisms of Deep Consumer Engagement and Purchase Behavior in E-Commerce Live Streaming. Sustainability, 15(7), 5754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075754
Liu, J., & Zhang, M. (2023). Formation mechanism of consumers' purchase intention in multimedia live platform: a case study of taobao live. Multimed Tools Appl, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-15666-6
Long, R., Yuan, X., & Wu, M. (2024). Consumers' green product purchase intention considering para-social interaction: An experimental study based on live-streaming e-commerce. Journal of Cleaner Production, 481, 144169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.144169
Lu, B., & Chen, Z. (2021). Live streaming commerce and consumers’ purchase intention: An uncertainty reduction perspective. Information & Management, 58(7), 103509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2021.103509
Luo, H., Cheng, S., Zhou, W., Yu, S., & Lin, X. (2021). A Study on the Impact of Linguistic Persuasive Styles on the Sales Volume of Live Streaming Products in Social E-Commerce Environment. Mathematics, 9(13), 1576-1597. https://doi.org/10.3390/math9131576
Maharani, N. P., Bangsawan, S., & Ms, M. (2023). The Effect of Celebrity Endorsement and Parasocial Interaction on Somethinc Products Purchase Decisions. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 06(10), 4789-4800. https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v6-i10-14
Majeed, M. U., Aftab, H., Arslan, A., & Shakeel, Z. (2024). Determining online consumer's luxury purchase intention: The influence of antecedent factors and the moderating role of brand awareness, perceived risk, and web atmospherics. PLoS One, 19(2), e0295514. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295514
Martins, C., Oliveira, T., & Popovič, A. (2014). Understanding the Internet banking adoption: A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and perceived risk application. International Journal of Information Management, 34(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.06.002
Mccroskey J. C. , H. P. R., Weiner A. N. (1974). The Effect of Interaction Behavior on Source Credibility, Homophily, and Interpersonal Attraction. Human Communication Research, 1(1), 42-52. https://academic.oup.com/hcr/article/1/1/42-52/4637511
Mcdonald, W. J. (1995). Home shopping channel customer segments: A cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Direct Marketing, 9(4), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.4000090407
Meng, Z., & Lin, M. (2023). The Driving Factors Analysis of Live Streamers' Characteristics and Perceived Value for Consumer Repurchase Intention on Live Streaming Platforms. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 35(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.4018/joeuc.323187
Park, H. J., & Lin, L. M. (2020). The effects of match-ups on the consumer attitudes toward internet celebrities and their live streaming contents in the context of product endorsement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52, 101934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101934
Petty, & Wegener. (1998). Matching versus mismatching attitude functions: Implications for scrutiny of persuasive messages. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24(3), 227-240. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167298243001
Phamthi, V. A., Nagy, Á., & Ngo, T. M. (2024). The influence of perceived risk on purchase intention in e‐commerce—Systematic review and research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 48(4), 13067. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.13067
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Quan, Y., Choe, J. S., & Im, I. (2020). The Economics of Para-social Interactions During Live Streaming Broadcasts : A Study of Wanghongs. Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems, 30(1), 143-165. https://doi.org/10.14329/apjis.2020.30.1.143
Rogers, & Bhowmik. (1970). Homophily-heterophily: Relational concepts for communication research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 34(4), 523-538. https://academic.oup.com/poq/article-lookup/doi/10.1086/267838
Schramm, H., & Wirth, W. (2010). Testing a Universal Tool for Measuring Parasocial Interactions Across Different Situations and Media. Journal of Media Psychology, 22(1), 26-36. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000004
Sharma, A., Dwivedi, Y. K., Arya, V., & Siddiqui, M. Q. (2021). Does SMS advertising still have relevance to increase consumer purchase intention? A hybrid PLS-SEM-neural network modelling approach. Computers in Human Behavior, 124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106919
Sheng, X., Zeng, Z., Zhang, W., & Hu, Y. (2022). Vlogger's persuasive strategy and consumers' purchase intention: The dual mediating role of para-social interactions and perceived value. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1080507. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1080507
Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing, 53(11), 2322-2347. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm-02-2019-0189
Sirdeshmukh, J. S., Barry Sabol. (2002). Consumer trust, value, and loyalty in relational exchanges. Journal of Marketing Research, 66(1), 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.66.1.15.18449
Song, S., Xu, Y., Ma, B., & Zong, X. (2024). Understanding How Streamer’s Self-Presentation in E-Commerce Live Streaming Affects Consumers: The Role of Persuasion Knowledge. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(3), 1922-1942. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19030095
Stefani, G., Cavicchi, A., Romano, D., & Lobb, A. E. (2008). Determinants of Intention to Purchase Chicken in Italy: The Role of Consumer Risk Perception and Trust in Different Information Sources. Agribusiness, 24(4), 523-537. https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.20177
Sun, T., & Wu, G. (2012). Influence of personality traits on parasocial relationship with sports celebrities: A hierarchical approach. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11(2), 136-146. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1378
Tong, J. (2017). A Study on the Effect of Web Live Broadcast on Consumers’ Willingness to Purchase. Open Journal of Business and Management, 05(02), 280-289. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2017.52025
Tsai, W.-H. S., Liu, Y., & Chuan, C.-H. (2021). How chatbots' social presence communication enhances consumer engagement: the mediating role of parasocial interaction and dialogue. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(3), 460-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-12-2019-0200
Walters, G., Sparks, B., & Herington, C. (2010). The Impact of Consumption Vision and Emotion on the Tourism Consumer’s Decision Behavior. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 36(3), 366-389. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348010390815
Wang, T., & Tian, M. (2022). Exploring consumer perceived risk and purchase intention of water-saving appliances: A moderated dual-mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1099897. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1099897
Wu, W. Y., & Chang, M. L. (2007). The role of risk attitude on online shopping: Experience, customer satisfaction, and repurchase intention. Social Behavior and Personality, 35(4), 453-468. https://doi.org/DOI 10.2224/sbp.2007.35.4.453
Wu, Y., & Huang, H. (2023). Influence of Perceived Value on Consumers’ Continuous Purchase Intention in Live-Streaming E-Commerce—Mediated by Consumer Trust. Sustainability, 15(5), 4432. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054432
Xia, Y. C., SW ; Xiang, YC. (2024). How social and media cues induce live streaming impulse buying? SOR model perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1379992. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1379992
Yuksel, M., & Labrecque, L. I. (2016). “Digital buddies”: parasocial interactions in social media. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 10(4), 305-320. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-03-2016-0023
Zafar, A. U., Qiu, J., Li, Y., Wang, J., & Shahzad, M. (2021). The impact of social media celebrities' posts and contextual interactions on impulse buying in social commerce. Computers in Human Behavior, 115, 106178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106178
Zha, T., Aw, E. C.-X., Dastane, O., & Fernando, A. G. (2023). Social media marketing for luxury brands: parasocial interactions and empowerment for enhanced loyalty and willingness to pay a premium. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 41(8), 1138-1161. https://doi.org/10.1108/mip-05-2023-0192
Zhang, N., Ruan, C., & Wang, X. (2024). You recommend, I trust: the interactive self-presentation strategies for social media influencers to build authenticity perception in short video scenes. Information Systems Frontiers, 10523-10529. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10523-9
Zhong, Y., Shapoval, V., & Busser, J. (2021). The role of parasocial relationship in social media marketing: testing a model among baby boomers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(5), 1870-1891. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-08-2020-0873
Zhu, L., Li, H., Nie, K., & Gu, C. (2021). How Do Anchors' Characteristics Influence Consumers' Behavioural Intention in Livestream Shopping? A Moderated Chain-Mediation Explanatory Model. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 730636. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.730636
Zhu, L. L., Li, H., Wang, F. K., He, W., & Tian, Z. J. (2020). How online reviews affect purchase intention: a new model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 72(4), 463-488. https://doi.org/10.1108/ajim-11-2019-0308
Zhu, Y.-Q., Amelina, D., & Yen, D. C. (2020). Celebrity Endorsement and Impulsive Buying Intentions in Social Commerce - The Case of Instagram in Indonesia. Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations, 18(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.4018/jeco.2020010101
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jiaying Li, Shijie Song, Yujun Liu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
