Feeling present matters: effects of social presence on live-streaming workout courses' purchase intention

PurposeThis paper aims to test the effects of social presence (SP) and other related factors, including trust, self-construal and brand familiarity, in affecting consumers' purchase intention of live-streaming workout courses. Design/methodology/approachThree between-subjects, Web-based experimental studies were conducted. There were separately 108, 208 and 284 valid questionnaires collected in the three studies. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed to test the research hypotheses. FindingsUsers' sense of SP when watching live-streaming courses positively affects their willingness to purchase courses, and users' sense of trust plays a mediating role in the influence of users' SP on their purchase intention. In addition, when users belong to dependent self-construal rather than independent self-construal, their trust in live-streaming courses plays a stronger mediating role in the influence of users' SP on their purchase intentions. What is more, when users have high brand familiarity rather than low brand familiarity, their trust in online live-streaming plays a stronger mediating role in the influence of users' SP on their purchase intentions. Originality/valueThis research delineates the effects of SP on the consumption of live-streaming courses, thus further adding to the understanding of the role of real-time interaction in determining consumer behavior. It also highlights the roles of self-construal and brand familiarity as mediating influences on the relationship between SP and consumer trust.