Understanding the effects of live streamers’ appearance and abilities in shaping consumer purchase: A cross-cultural empirical research

This research aims to investigate the comprehensive mechanism of streamers' attractiveness on consumer purchases in diverse cultural contexts. We confirmed the cultural differences between Douyin's and Tiktok shop's users through a pre-survey, and then collected live video data and viewer behavioral data from the two platforms. Based on the elaboration likelihood model framework, this research reveals that both appearance attractiveness and abilities attractiveness have positive effects on purchase behavior. Intriguingly, two types of attractiveness exhibit a substitutive relationship in Eastern cultural group, whereas they are complementary in Western cultures. Findings highlighted the complex impacts of streamers' attractiveness on consumer purchases, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural analysis to comprehend consumer behavior in digital retail.