How search and evaluation cues influence consumers’ continuous watching and purchase intentions: An investigation of live-stream shopping from an information foraging perspective

Live streaming has become an important approach for vendors to strategically promote their products. This study aims to understand the entire process of live-streaming shopping. Based on the information foraging theory, we identify relevant search (i.e., attractiveness and perceived product fit) and evaluation (i.e., vividness, mutuality, and price value) cues and assess how they influence consumers’ continuous watching and purchase intention. A survey was conducted, and 486 Chinese consumers were recruited. Our results show that search and evaluation cues influence consumers’ search experience (i.e., perceived enjoyment, perceived serendipity, and perceived diagnosticity), which ultimately results in continuous watching and purchase intentions. In addition to structural equation modeling, we also conducted a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify multiple pathways leading to search experience, continuous watching and purchase intentions. Our study contributes to the literature by developing a theoretical model explaining the whole process of live-streaming shopping. Our study also emphasizes the vital role of broadcasters (compared to co-viewers) and highlights the importance of serendipity. The results from the fsQCA also provide important strategic suggestions for practitioners regarding how to promote products via live streaming.