Quasi-Social Interaction, Information Sharing, and Impulsive Buying: A Study of Tourism Consumers in Livestream E-commerce

Abstract

With the rapid integration of 5G network technology and e-commerce, livestream marketing has become a primary channel for promoting tourism service products. This study obtains research sample data through questionnaire surveys and employs exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant validity testing, and direct and indirect effect analyses to empirically examine the impact of quasi-social interaction between livestream hosts and consumers on impulsive consumption among tourism consumers, as well as the mediating roles of consumption process complexity and information sharing volume. The following conclusions are drawn. First, quasi-social interaction in e-commerce livestream marketing exerts a significant positive effect on consumers’ impulsive consumption behavior. Second, quasi-social interaction negatively affects consumption process complexity, which in turn inhibits impulsive consumption. Third, quasi-social interaction significantly and positively influences consumers’ information sharing volume within the livestream room, and information sharing volume subsequently promotes impulsive consumption. Fourth, both consumption process complexity and information sharing volume serve as important mediating mechanisms in the relationship between quasi-social interaction and impulsive consumption. Based on these findings, this paper proposes relevant managerial recommendations for tourism e-commerce livestream marketing practice.