Socio-technical systems and trust transfer in live streaming e-commerce: analyzing stickiness and purchase intentions with SEM-fsQCA

Abstract

Live streaming has gained substantial significance in the e-commerce realm, attracting the attention of scholars due to its profound impact on the consumer decision-making journey. However, previous studies have not sufficiently investigated into the complex of marketing strategies through trust transfer mechanisms and socio-technical aspects, considering the dynamic nature of the live streaming e-commerce environment. Grounded on the socio-technical system theory, this research develops a research framework that centers on the exploration of interactivity, entertainment, and visualization as catalysts for trust transfer in live streaming. Trust transfer is conceptualized as advancing from cognitive trust to affective trust. Cognitive trust is proposed as a mediating factor bridging socio-technical system constructs to affective trust, ultimately shaping stickiness behavior and purchase intention in the live streaming context. To test the hypotheses, this study collected data from 682 participants in Indonesia and employed a hybrid analysis approach, combining SEM and fsQCA. The SEM results confirm that socio-technical system constructs significantly predict cognitive trust but do not directly impact affective trust. Instead, cognitive trust plays a full mediating role in transforming trust rooted in emotional bonds within the live streaming environment. Furthermore, both cognitive and affective trust exhibit a significant influence on the formation of stickiness behavior and the driving of purchase intention in the domain of live streaming e-commerce. The findings from fsQCA validate diverse configurations that shape stickiness behaviors and purchase intention, enriching marketing and communication strategies within the live streaming context. Additionally, the fsQCA configurations suggest varying conditions for high and low desired outcomes in stickiness and purchase intention, offering a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior in live streaming e-commerce. This research makes substantial contributions to both theoretical understanding and marketing practice by providing an extensive discussion of configuration combinations that offer enhanced insights into the study's findings.