Matching is believing: the effect of congruency on purchase intention in live streaming shopping context

With the growing popularity of live streaming shopping, designing an effective live streaming commercial strategy is a focus for retailers as well as researchers. Drawing on stimulus-organic-response model and feeling-as-information theory, the current study explores the role of congruence between live streaming elements and the product in facilitating shopping intention in live streaming shopping context. A total of 543 customers who engaged in live streaming shopping in the past three months were surveyed and asked to reflect on one recent experience for completing the questionnaire. We conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses to ascertain the research constructs’ reliability and validity. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was performed to test the research hypotheses. By distinguishing three forms of congruence between commercial elements and products (that between products and live stream content, atmosphere, and streamer, respectively), we found that a higher fit of live streaming elements with the product contributed to higher purchase intention via improved processing fluency and increased perceived authenticity of the product. From a cognitive perspective, our findings enrich the understanding of congruence between key live commercial elements and products. Specifically, our study highlights the significance of contextual stimuli in live streaming, by demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting sales through a cognitive friendly consumption experience. Additionally, it offers practical insights for optimizing design and sales promotion in the live streaming environment.