Live streaming commerce from the sellers’ perspective: implications for online relationship marketing

ABSTRACT

Live streaming has recently become a popular direct selling channel which offers small, self-employed sellers unseen levels of consumer interaction and engagement. While the extant research focused on consumer motivation and intention to shop via live streaming, little is known from the seller’s perspective. Indeed, the potential advantages of live streaming commerce are accessible to everyone, but sellers experience different levels of success with this medium. Using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, this study analyses Facebook data of live streaming sellers to assess the nature and extent of engagement metrics, and delineate the dynamic, interactive live streaming sales process. We identify four sales approaches and twelve strategies adopted in acquiring and retaining customers. This typology of sales approach representing seller-focused antecedents is mapped against the relationship process and outcomes to provide a framework for understanding relationship mechanisms in live streaming commerce.     

The value of nonindigenous species risk assessment in international trade

Managing the introduction of nonindigenous species is becoming a major goal of policy-makers at regional, national and international scales. Here we investigate, at the national level, the ideal design and expected net benefits of a risk assessment program for evaluating the desirability of nonindigenous species imports. We show how to enhance the statistical rigor of such a system by correcting a common non-random sampling problem encountered in the data. This correction enables model output to be interpreted in an economically relevant way and facilitates a theoretically rigorous characterization of the balance between trade and nonindigenous species establishment risk. Using reptiles and amphibians imported to the U.S. as a case study, we characterize economic outcomes over a range of cases and demonstrate substantial expected returns to such a screening program, relative to the current effectively open-door policy. Our results are informative for the current debate in the U.S. about whether to require federal agencies to apply risk assessment before allowing a species for import. The framework presented decomposes a complex argument about risk management into component economic and statistical parts, allowing for debate and improved understanding over each element to inform the overall program in a transparent fashion.     

基于Logit模型的视频流媒体用户付费意愿及其影响因素研究——以爱奇艺为例

爱奇艺作为国内头部视频流媒体之一,面临用户付费意愿薄弱的困境。基于整合型技术接受模型(UTAUT)和感知价值理论(CPV)的相关变量提出假设,构建研究模型。通过Logit模型展开实证研究,结果显示感知有用性、感知成本、社会影响、个人付费意识对爱奇艺用户的付费意愿有显著影响。对此,提出深耕优质内容IP、丰富价格体系、打造口碑营销、聚焦年轻人的情绪价值四点建议,为爱奇艺探索新的战略提供有针对性的对策建议。     

Strategic product showcasing mode of E-commerce live streaming

E-commerce live streaming can considerably help brands improve sales dynamics, but it is multiple dilemmas in choosing suitable e-commerce live streaming product showcasing modes. To address the multiple dilemmas, we first employ the Stackelberg game to depict three e-commerce live streaming product showcasing modes: brand self-live streaming, influencer-led live streaming mixture, and influencer-led special live streaming. Second, we analyze the relationship between choices and game parameters, including live streaming stimulus sensitivity, unit service quality improvement cost, and service sensitivity. Meanwhile, through the comparative analysis of the three modes, we get the optimal threshold of each mode. Last, we conduct a case study comparing Chinese apparel and accessories brands Hodo and RUANS to verify the above relations. The results suggest that: (i) the more sensitive consumers are to live streaming stimulus, the more beneficial it is for the brand manufacturer to employ special live streaming, while the increase in unit service quality improvement cost will harm the brand manufacturer; (ii) the fixed participation fee determines the choice of e-commerce live streaming product showcasing modes; (iii) e-commerce live streaming product showcasing modes can help brands to optimize their decision-making.     

《房屋建筑学》流媒体课件的实现

在各高校大力发展流媒体课件的形势下,本文通过制作《房屋建筑学》流媒体课件的实践,谈制作流媒体课件的制作方法与体会。     

流媒体技术在现代远程教育中的应用研究

流媒体作为一种新兴的网络传输技术,能将视音频等大量多媒体教学资源在网络中实时高品质传输。流媒体技术为现代远程教育提供了丰富的教学模式、良好的双向互动、方便的多媒体课件和精品课程制作工具,是现代远程教学发展的趋势。     

Does live performance play a critical role in building destination brand equity — A mixed-method study of “Impression Dahongpao"

A tourism live performance is a critical carrier of localism. It condenses local symbols and creates a significant approach to building a destination brand. However, to date, few studies have investigated this significant topic. To address the unresolved problem of the function and mechanism of the effect of a live performance on destination brand equity, this study employed a quantitative-dominant, concurrent nested mixed-method approach using 507 questionnaires (Study 1) and 14 semistructured interviews (Study 2). Based on symbolic interaction theory, the results confirmed that tourism live performance enhanced the destination brand equity, and the key link is for tourists to achieve a flow experience. Further, creative performance, visual appeal, cultural contact and authenticity created tourists' flow experience. The original findings of this study provide potential contributions to the development of destination brand equity.     

Should manufacturers open live streaming shopping channels?

Live streaming shopping, as a novel sales channel, has caught much attention from researchers and practitioners. Its unique features, such as the commission rate, fixed fee and number of followers of the live streamer, appear different from traditional wholesale-contract sales channels. But few studies have examined the impact of these factors on manufacturers’ opening live streaming shopping channel decisions. To address this gap, we develop game theoretic models to examine whether a manufacturer should hire a live streamer to open a live streaming shopping channel on an e-commerce platform where the manufacturer's direct channel and third-party e-retailer co-exist. We consider the impact of the commission rate, fixed fee and number of followers of the live streamer on the operating decisions and profits of the manufacturer and e-retailer. Then we identify the threshold-conditions where the manufacturer and e-retailer are better off or worse off by opening a live streaming shopping channel. We show that opening a live streaming shopping channel may hurt or harm the manufacturer's profit, depending on the interaction of above three factors. The manufacturer may be willing to open a live streaming shopping channel when the commission rate and fixed fee are both small, or when the commission rate and number of followers are both large and the fixed fee is small. The e-retailer could also benefit from opening a live streaming shopping channel. These insights appear novel in the literature. We further show that opening a live streaming shopping channel could improve the consumer surplus. We extend our model to price competition to verify our main conclusions. These insights may help manufacturers decide whether or not to open live streaming shopping channels and help manufacturers and extant retailers develop optimal operating decisions and improve profits when participating in live streaming shopping.     

Effects of in-store live stream on consumers’ offline purchase intention

Live stream marketing through social media has attracted the attention of digital retailing marketers in recent years. However, there is a lack of evidence in understanding the influence of in-store live stream on offline purchase intentions. This study aimed to investigate the influence patterns of environmental stimuli on consumers' intention to purchase offline/in-store after watching an in-store live stream session. The Stimuli-Organism-Response (SOR) model was employed as the theoretical framework, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data from individuals who had previous experience with in-store live stream marketing. Structural equation modelling was then applied for data analysis, with a total of 234 valid responses. The findings revealed that environmental stimuli have a significant positive effect on consumers' intentions to make in-store purchases, and the attitudes towards influencers and products substantially mediate the relationship between stimuli and purchase intention. More specifically, consumer attitude towards products has a pronounced effect on whether they will make an in-store purchase. The novelty of this research lies in its investigation of the impact that live stream marketing has on offline or in-store shopping experiences. This contrasts with the majority of existing live stream studies, which focus on consumers’ online shopping experiences. In addition, this study broadens the scope of the application of the SOR model to contribute to the growing body of literature on live stream marketing.     

How attachment affects user stickiness on live streaming platforms: A socio-technical approach perspective

User stickiness is an important factor in the development of live streaming shopping platforms, which describes the degree of users' attention to the platforms. Although some e-commerce websites have provided live streaming services to improve the purchase experience of consumers, few people know how the services affect user stickiness. Building upon attachment theory and socio-technical approach, we developed a theoretical model to understand how live streaming service affects the user stickiness through users' attachment, which is tested by using 425 live streaming shopping platform's users. The results showed that technical factors (synchronicity and vicarious expression) and social factors (interaction and identification) positively affect emotional attachment to streamers and platform attachment respectively, which in turn increase the user stickiness.