Effect of TikTok live streamer characteristics on purchase intentions: the mediating role of trust
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59651/digital.v16i2.278Keywords:
TikTok, Live streamer characteristics, Consumer trust, Purchase intention, S-O-R modelAbstract
The phenomenon of live-streaming commerce through the TikTok platform has become an increasingly popular digital marketing strategy because it is able to present direct interaction between streamers and audiences. This study seeks to investigate the impact of TikTok live streamer attributes (credibility, interactivity, and beauty) on purchase intentions, with trust serving as a mediating variable, utilizing the S-O-R model as the theoretical framework. Data were gathered via a survey of 203 participants who had experience watching TikTok Live with commercial content using the purposive sampling method. The PLS-SEM method was employed for data analysis. The results showed that the credibility, interactivity, and attractiveness of live streamers positively affect consumer trust. In addition, consumer trust positively affects purchase intentions. Furthermore, trust modulates the impact of streamer characteristics (credibility, interactivity, and attractiveness) on purchase intentions. The outcomes of this study provide significant implications for marketers in building sales strategies on the TikTok platform.
References
Amarullah, D., Handriana, T., & Maharudin, A. (2022). EWOM credibility, trust, perceived risk, and purchase intention in the context of e-commerce: Moderating role of online shopping experience. Jurnal Ekonomi Bisnis Dan Kewirausahaan (JEBIK) 2022, 11(1), 61–83. https://doi.org/10.26418/jebik.v11i1.50594
Chang, C. M., Yen, C., Chou, S. Y., & Lo, W. W. (2023). What motivates viewers to purchase recommended products in live streaming? The moderating role of extroversion–introversion personality. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(12), 2983–3007. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-07-2022-0582
Chen, J., & Wu, Y. (2024). Would you be willing to purchase virtual gifts during esports live streams? Streamer characteristics and cultural traits. Computers in Human Behavior, 152, 108075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108075
Cheng, X., Xu, Y., Yang, B., & Liu, Y. (2025). Understanding streamers’ intention to live stream in the context of rural live streaming commerce: a mixed-methods study. Internet Research, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-08-2023-0715
Chew, X. Y., 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
Ding, R., Chen, X., Wei, S., & Wang, J. (2025). What drives trust building in live streaming E-commerce? From an elaboration likelihood model perspective. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 125, 969–999. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-03-2024-0273
Dokumacı, U. K. (2024). How streamer credibility affects viewers’ willingness to pay for online games: a social identity perspective. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-05-2024-0108
Fu, S., Zheng, X., Hou, T., & Yang, Y. (2024). Product purchase or gift-giving? An investigation of different viewer-streamer interaction strategies in tourism live streaming. Tourism Management Perspectives, 51, 101219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101219
Gao, W., Jiang, N., & Guo, Q. (2025). How cool virtual streamer influences customer in live-streaming commerce? An explanation of stereotype content model. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 82, 104139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104139
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to Use and How to Report the Results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
He, Y., Li, W., & Xue, J. (2022). What and how driving consumer engagement and purchase intention in officer live streaming? A two-factor theory perspective. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 56, 101223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2022.101223
Hsu, L. C., & Hu, S. Y. (2024). Antecedents and consequences of the trust transfer effect on social commerce: the moderating role of customer engagement. Current Psychology, 43(5), 4040–4061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04634-w
Ji, X. (2024). Influence of Virtual Live Streamers’ Credibility on Online Sales Performance. SAGE Open, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241271171
Jiang, Y., Lee, H. T., & Li, W. (2024). The effects of live streamer’s expertise and entertainment on the viewers’ purchase and follow intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1383736. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1383736
Kim, M. (2023). Parasocial Interactions in Digital Tourism: Attributes of Live Streamers and Viewer Engagement Dynamics in South Korea. Behavioral Sciences, 13(11), 953. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13110953
LI, X., Huang, D., Dong, G., & Wang, B. (2024). Why consumers have impulsive purchase behavior in live streaming: the role of the streamer. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 129. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01632-w
Lin, S. C., Tseng, H. T., Shirazi, F., Hajli, N., & Tsai, P. T. (2023). Exploring factors influencing impulse buying in live streaming shopping: a stimulus-organism-response (SOR) perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(6), 1383–1403. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-12-2021-0903
Liu, X., & Zhang, L. (2024). Impacts of different interactive elements on consumers’ purchase intention in live streaming e-commerce. PLoS ONE, 19(12), e0315731. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315731
Liu, X., Zhang, L., & Chen, Q. (2022). The effects of tourism e-commerce live streaming features on consumer purchase intention: The mediating roles of flow experience and trust. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 995129. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.995129
Luo, X., Cheah, J. H., Hollebeek, L. D., & Lim, X. J. (2024). Boosting customers’ impulsive buying tendency in live-streaming commerce: The role of customer engagement and deal proneness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 103644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103644
Luo, X., Cheah, J. H., Lim, X. J., Ramayah, T., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2025). Inducing shoppers’ impulsive buying tendency in live-streaming: integrating signaling theory with social exchange theory. Internet Research, 35(1), 318–348. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-04-2023-0260
Ma, L., Gao, S., & Zhang, X. (2022). How to Use Live Streaming to Improve Consumer Purchase Intentions: Evidence from China. Sustainability, 14(2), 1045. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14021045
Men, J., Zheng, X., & Davison, R. M. (2024). The role of vicarious learning strategies in shaping consumers’ uncertainty: the case of live-streaming shopping. Internet Research, 34(3), 891–916. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-06-2022-0415
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
Ng, A. H. H., Wider, W., Ho, R. C., Wong, C. H., Ngui, K. S., & Bien, J. K. (2024). The impact of credibility of streamers on the acceptance of live streaming commerce: An extended UTAUT model. Asian Development Policy Review, 12(2), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.55493/5008.v12i2.5032
Ni, S., & Ueichi, H. (2024). Factors influencing behavioral intentions in livestream shopping: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 76, 103596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103596
Razafinandrasana, C., & Tamara, D. (2024). Exploring The Factors Which Impact Impulse Purchase Intention in TikTok Live Streaming Shopping in Indonesia. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, 15(2), 21–62. https://doi.org/10.7903/ijecs.2279
Tan, K. L., Hii, I. S. H., Lim, X. J., & Wong, C. Y. L. (2024). Enhancing purchase intentions among young consumers in a live-streaming shopping environment using relational bonds: are there differences between “buyers” and “non-buyers”? Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 36(1), 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2023-0048
Tang, X., Hao, Z., & Li, X. (2023). The influence of streamers’ physical attractiveness on consumer response behavior: based on eye-tracking experiments. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1297369. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1297369
Tedjakusuma, A. P., Silalahi, A. D. K., Eunike, I. J., Phuong, D. T. T., & Riantama, D. (2025). The trust-driven path to consumer engagement behaviors: Exploring the role of streamer and platform characteristics in live-streaming E-commerce. Digital Business, 5(1), 100115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2025.100115
Tian, B., Chen, J., Zhang, J., Wang, W., & Zhang, L. (2023). Antecedents and Consequences of Streamer Trust in Livestreaming Commerce. Behavioral Sciences, 13(4), 308. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13040308
Wang, H. (2024). Exploring Brand Attachment Dynamics in Live Streaming Platforms: a TikTok Perspective in the Digital Knowledge Economy. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-01786-3
Wang, Q., Li, X., Yan, X., & Li, R. (2024). How to enhance consumers’ purchase intention in live commerce? An affordance perspective and the moderating role of age. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 67, 101438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2024.101438
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
Xiao, G., Lee, M., Lee, C. K., & Kim, M. (2025). Tourism live streamers as brand ambassadors: investigating their impact on destination brand value through social exchange theory. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 16(1), 174–193. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-11-2023-0371
Xu, Q., Kim, H., & Billings, A. C. (2022). Let’s Watch Live Streaming: How Streamer Credibility Influences Brand Attitude in Esports Streamer Marketing. Communication and Sport, 10(2), 271–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795211067819
Yang, G., Chaiyasoonthorn, W., & Chaveesuk, S. (2024). Exploring the influence of live streaming on consumer purchase intention: A structural equation modeling approach in the Chinese E-commerce sector. Acta Psychologica, 249, 104415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104415
Zhang, Y., & Prebensen, N. K. (2025). Value co-creation in tourism live shopping. Journal of Business Research, 186, 114964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114964
Zhang, Z., & Liu, F. (2024). Gift-giving intentions in pan-entertainment live streaming: Based on social exchange theory. PLoS ONE, 19(1), e0296908. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296908
Zheng, S., Chen, J., Liao, J., & Hu, H. L. (2023). What motivates users’ viewing and purchasing behavior motivations in live streaming: A stream-streamer-viewer perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 72, 103240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103240
Zou, J., & Fu, X. (2024). Understanding the purchase intention in live streaming from the perspective of social image. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1500. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04054-6




