Understanding the Relationship between IT Affordance and Consumers’ Purchase Intention in E-Commerce Live Streaming: The Moderating Effect of Gender

AbstractE-commerce live streaming is becoming increasingly popular in China, attracting great interest from practitioners and researchers. From an IT affordance perspective, this study explores how IT affordances (guidance shopping, triggered attending, and social interaction) impact consumers' purchase intention in e-commerce live streaming. Moreover, gender is viewed as a moderator between IT affordances and consumers' perception of trust, and its moderation effect is tested. Data were collected through an online survey in China (n = 266) and analyzed using structural equation model. The analysis results show that guidance shopping, triggered attending, and social interaction can influence consumers' purchase intention through consumers' trust and presence. In addition, guidance shopping exerts a greater impact on males' trust in streamers than females', while triggered attending exerts a greater impact on females' trust in streamers than males'. The research conclusion makes a theoretical contribution by highlighting the impact of IT affordance such as triggered attending on purchase intention in e-commerce live streaming and the moderating effect of gender, and also makes practical contributions by guiding sellers or streamers to promote consumers' purchases.Keywords: IT affordancepurchase intentionE-commerce live streaming Disclosure statementThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Beijing Municipal Social Science Foundation [grant number 21XCB005] and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission Science and Technology Planning Project [grant number KM201810037001].Notes on contributorsJie XiongJie Xiong is an assistant professor of Beijing Wuzi University. Her research interests include information systems, e-commerce, smart senior care, and artificial intelligence. Her work has been published in Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Information & Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Information Technology & People, Information Systems, etc.Yawei WangYawei Wang is an associate professor of Beijing Wuzi University. Her research interests include the area of information system and artificial intelligence.Zheng LiZheng Li is an assistant professor of Beijing Wuzi University. Her research interests include the area of multivariate statistical modeling and data mining. Her work has been published in Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.