Exploring Livestream Shopping Intentions for Eco-Friendly Products: The Roles of Green Self-Brand Connection, PU, and Green Information Credibility

As consumers’ environmental awareness rises, so too does their propensity to purchase green products [1]. Factors such as environmental awareness [2], demographic characteristics [1], and product information [3] influence green purchasing behavior. Many brands have introduced green products, but consumers are not always familiar with these [4]. Green self-brand connection (GSBC) is an important factor influencing the purchase behaviour as consumers are likely to go for environmentally friendly products if the brand is linked with their self-identity [5]. However, in cases where this connection is weak, consumers may struggle to recognize the benefits of environmentally friendly products due to information irregularity. This information gap poses a significant challenge in identifying eco-friendly products, emphasizing the need to strengthen GSBCs to reduce information asymmetry (it is a state where one of the transacting parties in a given market or organization possesses more or better information than the other) and boost consumer engagement with intentions to buy eco-friendly products.

Livestreaming is a process of capturing and broadcasting in real-time to enhance sales for e-retailers [6]. When live streaming is incorporated in the e-shopping, the customers can view live demonstrations of the products as opposed to the text and pictures [7]. The audience of live shopping content increased by more than 40% in 2022 compared to 2021 [8]. The live-streaming e-commerce platform Taobao Live has 400 million users and achieved more than 200 billion yuan in gross merchandise value in 2019 [8]. Some of the companies now use live streaming to market green products. Streamers can create the bonding with the consumers by increasing the trust towards themselves and products that they endorse, increasing the credibility of the information transmitted and therefore decreasing the information asymmetry [9]. Through the course of live streaming, streamers create real-time communication that can enhance the audience’s buying intentions of green products [3].

Although there has been a rising attention on livestream shopping and environmentalism, there is limited research that examines factors affecting consumers’ willingness to buy environmentally friendly products through livestreaming channels. The research on livestream shopping has been focused on consumers’ attitudes, influences and the effects of e-service quality on customer buying behaviour [10]. Nevertheless, the influence of psychological factors (perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU) and GSBC) on purchase intentions of eco-friendly products in the livestream environment has not been much studied.

One of the key gaps is the integration of GSBC into the live stream shopping framework. GSBC is the emotional bond consumers have to a brand in terms of its alignment with their environmental values [11]. Although GSBC is shown to have an impact on brand loyalty and purchase intention [12], the concept of GSBC has not been developed extensively in the context of sustainable consumption and the livestream shopping environment. Given the increasing number of eco-conscious consumers, that gap is all the more important. As such, examining how GSBC affects consumer behavior in the livestream shopping context, especially for eco-friendly products, is an understudied area.

Furthermore, we lack an understanding of how green information credibility influences consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward eco-friendly products in the livestream shopping setting. The trustworthiness of the environmental claims made by brands or livestream presenters is called green information credibility. Previous studies have shown that if consumers believe the environmental claims, they are more likely to adopt green products [13]. Nevertheless, little research exists on how green information credibility moderates relations between GSBC, PU, PEU, and livestream purchase intentions. In particular, trust in the information shared during livestream shopping is particularly important given the largely less formal nature of the livestream sessions in comparison to traditional marketing channels and their reliance on real-time interactions between the streamer and an audience.

Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate factors influencing livestream purchasing intentions for eco-friendly products among Chinese customers, focusing on GSBC, PU, and PEU. The study also explores whether green information credibility moderates these relationships. We set out to answer three research questions:

RQ1: Does GSBC positively influence PEU, PU, and livestream purchase intentions for eco-friendly products?

RQ2: Do PEU and PU impact customer intentions to purchase eco-friendly products?

RQ3: Does green information credibility moderate relationships between GSBC, PEU, PU, and livestream purchase intentions for eco-friendly products?

In this work, we have the following main contributions. First, our model that incorporates PU, GSBC, green information credibility, PEU, and livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products provides a novel approach to an emerging e-commerce practice. Second, we examine the moderating effect of green information credibility and extend the understanding of how it moderates the effects of PU, GSBC, and PEU on livestream shopping intentions. Third, we enrich the literature on consumer behavior in eco-friendly product marketing by investigating these factors in the context of livestream shopping, which has not been explored before.

3.1 Sampling and data collection

For the validation of our conceptual model, we used an online survey. The sample included consumers who had made purchases during live streaming. There are many live streaming shopping applications in China and some of them are Taobao, JD, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Pinduoduo. Taobao is a C2C platform, which belongs to Alibaba and is famous for its extensive product range, including environmentally friendly items, and for its live streaming service that enables sellers and consumers to communicate in real time. JD.com is a B2C platform, which offers high-quality products and quick delivery, and the JD Live service, which is a livestreaming service, advertises products, including environmentally friendly products. Douyin is the Chinese equivalent of TikTok and it is a short-video sharing social media application that has successfully adopted e-commerce and hence can be used to promote green products through live streaming sales by influencers. Another short-video app Kuaishou has also emerged as popular by promoting real content from the community and incorporating the commerce element where users can purchase environmentally friendly products during live streams. Pinduoduo is a social commerce platform where consumers can join together to purchase environmentally friendly products at lower prices, using group purchasing and game elements. All these platforms are useful in promoting green product sales in China through the integration of social media and live streaming shopping to enhance consumer conveniences.

The survey was organized into three sections. The first asked respondents about their experience with livestreaming, including how often they watched and purchased. Screening questions were posed here to filter respondents. These included inquiries about whether the respondents had made any purchases or viewed livestreaming in the previous two months: 1) Have you watched any livestream shopping events in the past two months? And 2) Have you made any purchases during livestream shopping events in the past two months? Only those who responded 'Yes' were asked to proceed. Formal measurement items comprised the second section, while demographic information constituted the third.

The primary target group for the study was Chinese online consumers. The survey was, therefore, written in Chinese. All latent variables were assessed based on published papers and were translated as well as checked by two marketing experts using the back translation technique. The questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,612 internet users using the WenJuanXing sample services. Participants who completed the survey were rewarded 3 RMB. From 1612, 412 were excluded based on screening. The mean age of excluded respondents was 44.3, and majority respondents were males (i.e. 62%). While 491 did not responded. Rest, 709 respondents completed surveys, giving a 43.93% response rate. We eliminated those who finished the questionnaire in less than 120 seconds, leaving 690 valid responses for our final sample.

Table 1 displays the characteristics of our dataset. There were 265 women (38.4%) and 425 men (61.6%). The majority were young adults aged 18 to 30, and all had experience using many livestream purchasing platforms. The majority shopped via livestream between one and six times a month. Approximately 73% spent 1–3 hours per week on livestream shopping (see Table 1).

Table 1. Sample characteristics

3.2 Measurements

Questionnaire items were adapted from previous research. We adjusted item meaning in line with livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products. A six-item scale was used to assess GSBC, adapted from Li et al. [33]. A four-item scale was used to measure green information credibility, adapted from Erkan and Evans [34]. Our PU scale consisted of four items and the PEU scale had four items, both adapted from Xie et al. [35]. A three-item livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products scale was adapted from previous literature [36].

Livestream shopping is increasingly popular, but there is currently no comprehensive theory to explain consumer intentions to livestream shop for eco-friendly products. We thus tested a theoretically integrated model to explore how GSBC, PU, and PEU influenced livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products. We also explored the moderation role of green information credibility on the link between GSBC, PU, PEU, and livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products.

Our findings showed that GSBC had a positive influence on PU, PEU, and livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products. The findings are comparable with prior literature, suggesting that when people feel emotionally connected to a brand, they are more likely to feel positive about it, which translates into a better shopping experience. Livestream buying platforms may be beneficial to those who have strong self-brand relationships as they already have positive perceptions of the brand and its offerings [6]. Customers' pleasure with the online buying experience strengthens their bond with the brand [35]. Fournier [43] found that brand-loyal consumers were more likely to keep buying from the company and recommend it to others. These findings suggest that when consumers feel a strong emotional connection with a green brand, they are more likely to perceive its products and associated technologies as useful and easy to use.

The results reveal that GSBC is positively associated with livestream shopping intention for eco-friendly products. This finding concurs with Tan et al.'s [21] research, which indicated that a stronger sense of self-brand connection resulted in increased brand identification and engagement. Strong brand connections make consumers more likely to purchase products featured during livestream shopping sessions because they see the brand as consistent with their values [21]. GSBC's effect on livestream purchase intentions highlights the role of emotional brand connections in driving consumer behavior in digital environments. Consumers with strong GSBC are more likely to perceive a brand's products as useful and easy to use and more likely to engage with the brand through livestreams.

The findings suggest that PU and PEU have strong associations with livestream shopping intention. Chauhan et al. [44] concluded that clear, understandable online shopping sites, which require minimal mental effort to make a purchase, are more appealing to potential customers than more complex ones for eco-friendly products. The ease of use of these platforms is a key factor in driving the success of virtual stores specializing in eco-friendly offerings [45]. The findings confirmed all paths in the TAM, revealing that PU and PEU were strong predictors of intentions to purchase eco-friendly products in livestream sessions. The impression of ease of use among customers is favorably influenced by platforms that have simple navigation menus, intuitive design, and quick transaction procedures. Additionally, platforms that provide prompt customer support boost user trust and satisfaction, which in turn strengthens user intentions to purchase [27].

Results indicated that green information credibility positively moderated the relationship between GSBC and livestream purchase intentions for eco-friendly products. When consumers feel a strong connection with a brand that aligns with their green values, the credibility of the information presented further amplifies intentions to purchase. These results are consistent with previous findings [46]. This highlights the synergistic effect of GSBC and green information credibility, where a deep personal connection to a green brand is bolstered by credible information, leading to stronger purchase intentions for eco-friendly products.

Moreover, results showed that green information credibility positively moderated the relationship between PU and livestream purchase intentions for eco-friendly products. This finding supports the idea that green information credibility acts as a trust-building mechanism, which enhances the usefulness consumers associate with a green product. Since several studies have found that consumers are more likely to consider environmentally sustainable products to be helpful when they believe that brands’ claims are genuine and trustworthy, it is therefore important for brands to be clear about their claims and to back them up. [28, 30].

By ensuring that the green information provided is credible, brands can increase consumers' confidence in the product's effectiveness, which in turn enhances their perception of the product's usefulness. This aligns with the notion that consumers rely heavily on the credibility of external information to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to products that involve a higher degree of environmental responsibility [28].

The link between PEU and livestream shopping intention for eco-friendly products is not moderated by green information credibility. Research on credibility of green information has shown that it is a crucial component influencing consumer behavior in the domain of sustainable consumption. A number of studies have shown that when consumers believe in environmental claims made by brands, the consumers perceive the brand’s offerings as credible, and will be more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior [29]. Based on the assumption that credible green information would reduce consumer scepticism and increase their willingness to purchase eco-friendly products, it was expected that green information credibility would strengthen the positive influence of PEU on purchase intentions. However, the results of this study do not support this expectation and indicate that green information credibility may not moderate the PEU-intentions relationship as expected.

One possible explanation for this finding is that PEU itself may already be a sufficiently strong driver of purchase intentions, regardless of the credibility of the green information. According to the TAM, PEU is a primary determinant of consumers' intention to use technology or products, especially in digital environments like livestream shopping [19]. If the process of purchasing eco-friendly products is perceived as easy and hassle-free, consumers might be less influenced by external factors, such as the credibility of the green information, when deciding to make a purchase

5.1 Theoretical implications

Several theoretical contributions are made by this study. First, it extends the understanding of the TAM in the context of livestream shopping intentions for eco-friendly products by adopting concepts of GSBC and green information credibility. TAM has conventionally centred on how PU and PEU affect technology adoption, but this study extends its applicability to the nascent area of sustainable consumption and livestream shopping by exploring these constructs. The study shows how GSBC impacts PU, PEU and livestream purchase intentions and how emotional brand connections influence consumer behavior in digital environments, especially for eco-friendly products.

Second, the results provide new insights into how credibility perceptions can enhance or diminish the effectiveness of traditional TAM antecedents in driving purchase intentions. The results indicate that the relationship between PEU and livestream purchase intentions is moderated by green information credibility, supporting that credibility is important in the sustainable consumption context. This advances the theoretical understanding of how consumer perceptions of technology and brand connection affect the relationship of information credibility and purchase decisions.

Third, the study extends the literature on self-brand connection and sustainability by empirically establishing the positive effect of GSBC on the purchase intention for eco-friendly products in livestreaming. By integrating GSBC in framework like TAM, a full picture is offered on the way emotional and cognitive factors jointly affect consumer behavior for sustainable consumption.

5.2 Managerial implications

This paper has important implications for managers and marketers working in the e-commerce and sustainability sectors, particularly those operating in the livestream shopping platform and environmentally friendly products sectors. The high impact of GSBC on livestream purchase intention suggests that it is necessary to build up the affective relationship between consumers and green brands. Managers should concentrate on the development of relationships by matching brand values with the values of green consumers. This can be realised through advertising that promotes brands’ stewardship, green products and social corporate responsibilities. The following research question can be developed based on the above discussion: How can the organisation cultivate stories and narratives that are aligned to the consumers’ environmental attitudes in order to foster brand identification that results in increased purchase intentions? Managers should focus on creating effective and easy-to-navigate live shopping apps and sites. This includes easy-to-use navigation, fast and efficient transaction processes, and real-time interactions with hosts through which consumers can ask questions. Strengthening the visibility of the green attributes of products on platforms can also improve PU and hence the willingness to buy among consumers.

The result of the study also indicates that credible information can enhance the effect of PEU and self-brand connection on purchase intentions. The information that was presented in the livestream sessions should be credible and reliable, and the positive impacts of the products to the environment should be stated to the managers. This can be done through having hosts who are experts in the field, offering certificates or approvals, and openly presenting the sustainability of the products. Thus, credibility allows brands to turn positive user experiences into real purchases.

The study’s findings indicate that consumers’ perceived relevance of PU may not be affected by credibility cues. It is suggested that managers should split the target market into two groups depending on the primary reason for their purchase: due to a practical requirement or to environmental factors. In the case of more utilitarian consumers, it is more effective to focus on the usage of green products. For those consumers for whom sustainability is important, it seems more likely that they will respond to the responsibility of the company rather than the credibility of the brand and the commitment to the environment.

5.3 Limitations and future research

The current research had some limitations. First, we employed a social media platform to distribute an online survey, potentially favoring individuals who actively engage with social media livestreams. This sampling method may limit the generalizability of the findings. Future studies should use broader samples to increase variety. Second, we used a standard approach for all types of livestreams. It is plausible that viewers react differently to distinct kinds of livestream content. Future studies should focus on specific livestream categories such as commodity auctions, talent screens, and life-sharing. Third, our research was limited to China. The findings may not apply to other cultural settings. To understand the variation in customer behavior in livestreaming purchases, comparative analyses across various cultural situations are needed. Researchers may identify shared patterns and different cultural effects by comparing data from different countries or regions.

I would like to thank the 542 participants who found the time to fill in the survey that formed the basis of this research. The participants’ cooperation in sharing their experiences and views has been very helpful in the development of this study.