Search results

This study aims to explore how social status recognition, perceived value and immersive enjoyment drive attachment to influencers and endorsements, thus triggering consumers’ hedonic buying towards influencer endorsements in social media.

By following a purposive sampling strategy and collecting cross-sectional data from 379 valid responses in the UK, this study adopts structural equation modelling, artificial neural networks and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (SEM-ANN-fsQCA) as integrated methods for analysis.

This study reveals that social status recognition, immersive enjoyment, gamified incentives, attachment to influencers and endorsements are critical antecedents that drive hedonic buying.

In knowledge, this study concurrently adopts the perceived value theory and attachment theory that can enrich the inner elements and reveal the underlying connections under the theories. In method, the integrated analytical approach can explore deeper and more convincing results without the limitations of a single approach. In practice, this study helps practitioners ascertain customer perceptions of influencer endorsements and their attachment in the context of buying hedonically, thus developing effective strategies for employing influencers and marketing strategies to foster consumers’ hedonic buying behaviours.

The rise of virtual streamers in live streaming commerce has gained momentum, driven by the increasing prevalence of human–computer interactivity and artificial intelligence. However, achieving its broader adoption necessitates a comprehensive understanding of consumers' intention to switch from conventional human streamers to virtual streamer services as alternatives. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study endeavours to introduce and substantiate an asymmetric model incorporating innovation barriers, shopping motivations and personalities, shedding light on consumers' intention to switch.

An online survey was conducted in the United Kingdom and analysed using a comprehensive approach that integrates Necessary Conditions Analysis (NCA), Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA).

The results unveiled six configurations of arrangements, each of them characterised by a unique combination of causation.

In knowledge, this study presents a significant contribution by revealing both the determinants that stimulate or hamper the desire to switch based on consumer-centric perspectives. In practice, this study is critical for helping practitioners overcome difficulties related to adoption and make educated judgements when promoting virtual streamers and developing marketing strategies in live streaming commerce.

Aiming to address the problem in which practitioners mindlessly prioritise the reputation of social media influencers (SMIs) over ensuring proper congruence between the influencers themselves and content marketing strategies, this study develops a conceptual framework that adopts an elaboration likelihood model and attachment theory to ascertain the effects of SMIs, live content marketing and their congruency on impulsive buying (IB).

Through collecting cross-sectional data from 608 valid replies, this study adopts an integrated method that combines partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), artificial neural network (ANN) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyse.

The results reveal that the credibility and relevance of live content, the empathy and professionalism of SMIs, and their congruence are critical antecedents of consumers' attachments to live content and SMIs, thus triggering their attachment to endorsement and IB.

In knowledge, this study benefits the scope of the elaboration likelihood model and attachment theory and enriches live streaming commerce literature. In method, an integrated analytical method is used to cope with complex structural relationships in non-linear patterns and predictions, as well as examine the complex causal configurations. In practice, this study facilitates practitioners to further ascertain what attributes in live content and SMIs can foster customer's emotional attachments in choosing endorsers and developing endorsement strategies, thus driving their IB.