This research aims to examine how food streamer professionalism and social presence impact the trust of consumers and buying intention in food live-streaming e-commerce according to the stimulus-organism-response model. Furthermore, it explores the mediating role of trust in these relationships and the moderating role of flow experience in the relationship between trust and buying intention.
This study collected 231 valid responses from food live streaming viewers in China. The analytical procedures were performed using PLS-SEM.
The findings indicate that social presence and professionalism both significantly enhance consumer trust, which in turn mediates their effects on purchase intention. Surprisingly, flow experience negatively moderates the relationship between trust and buying intention.
These findings offer valuable insights for food live streamers, organizations, platforms and policymakers to enhance trust-building strategies, ensure authenticity and optimize their operations in food live streaming e-commerce.
This study offers new theoretical perspectives by integrating multiple disciplines to explore trust mechanisms in food live streaming e-commerce. This study reveals how social presence and professionalism build trust and demonstrates the moderating role of flow experience in buying decisions.
