Impact of Scene Features of E-Commerce Live Streaming on Consumers' Flow and Purchase Intentions of Sporting Goods

Purpose-The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanism of scene features (i.e., visual appeal, presence, and scene-product matching) of e-commerce live streaming and how it impacts consumers' flow and purchase intentions of sporting goods. Design/methodology/approach-To test the hypotheses in the conceptualized model that was developed based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, sports consumers (N = 340) who watched e-commerce live streaming responded to an online survey administration. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the research model and test the hypotheses. Findings-The results reveal that scene features positively affect consumer flow experience, in which scene-product matching is the main contributing factor. Moreover, the flow experience plays a critical mediating role in influencing purchase intentions; meanwhile, the moderation role of sport identification was not found to be statistically significant. Originality/value-This study fills the void to explore how scene features of e-commerce live streaming influence consumer behavior associated with sporting goods merchandise through immersed flow experience. Confirming the applicability of the S-O-R model in the sports e-commerce live streaming setting, the findings of this study identify dimensions of scene features of e-commerce live streaming and highlight the significance of developing scene-product congruence features when designing, operating, and promoting live streaming programs while enhancing immersive involvement.