I. Introduction
E-commerce live streaming, a new type of profit model in the digital economy, is rapidly developing, and e-commerce live streaming shopping has become a popular new shopping method among contemporary consumers. Chinese consumers have upgraded their content consumption from textual to visual forms, ultimately presented in video form, while consumer terminal devices have also shifted from computers to smartphones. With the rapid development of the Internet and the upgrading of Internet technology, online celebrities have become a new business outlet in this period. As a video content producer, online celebrities have been highly matched with the live broadcast platform and short video platform, making these media platforms the "birthplace" of online celebrities. E-commerce live streaming has also significantly changed consumers' purchasing methods and willingness. This article aims to help internet celebrity anchors establish their brand image and produce high-quality live streaming content; Assist e-commerce in accurately positioning consumer groups; Help consumers who are conducting online shopping in the live broadcast room fully understand the importance of rational shopping, plan and consume reasonably, and hope that consumers can truly benefit from the live streaming sales of internet celebrity anchors.
II. Preliminaries
2.1 Literature Review
2.1.1 Research on the Internet Celebrity Economy
The internet celebrity economy is a social phenomenon of the 21st century. It mainly refers to a business model in which fashion influencers with good images accurately monetize their fan base through social media promotion. In 2009, the emergence of MCN (Multi Channel Network) in the United States was one of the earliest business models of the Internet celebrity economy. Hannah Kuchler (2018) conducted a study and analysis on the monetization methods of internet celebrities on the YouTube platform and found that internet celebrities can earn profits by accepting advertisements and selling exclusive members to fans[1]. Austen et al. (2012) researched and analyzed the internet celebrity TayZonday. They found that TayZonday earns profits by continuously launching new video content and collaborating with YouTube Partners to undertake advertisements [2].
The progress of information technology has given birth to the online celebrity economy. In analyzing and researching marketing strategies for Weibo internet celebrities, Pang Yumeng (2017) proposed corresponding marketing strategies for Weibo content setting methods and fan monetization [3]. Internet celebrities and e-commerce platforms want to combine and monetize by importing traffic, converting fan traffic into purchasing power, and achieving profitability [4]. Yang Zhuoyan (2016) found in her research on the operation mode of the fan economy in the era of Internet Celebrity 3.0 that e-commerce Internet celebrities have the fastest monetization ability. Other business models of internet celebrities include undertaking product advertisements, endorsing brand shooting advertisements, and financing and entrepreneurship [5]. They think the social assets accumulated by internet celebrities on social transportation platforms will become essential in the future business ecosystem[6]. WeiXingbang (2022) used empirical analysis to study the effects of the internet celebrity economy and found that the internet celebrity effect positively impacts consumer purchase intention, with a more significant positive impact on female and youth groups [7]. Sun Lianzhi (2019) used clothing influencer e-commerce as an example to explore the critical factors affecting the effectiveness of influencer e-commerce. The study found that product prices and store reputation are important factors affecting the sales of influencer stores[8]. GuoPeilin (2020) took the TikTok platform as an example and used the SIPS model to study the online red e-commerce live broadcast on the TikTok platform and found that consumers' emotional psychology had an essential impact on consumers' purchase decision-making process[9].
2.1.2 Research on Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention
Research by foreign scholars on the impact of consumer purchase intention generally focuses on internal factors such as attitude, consumer perception, and trust, as well as external factors such as product brand, product price, and advertising. Arli et al. (2018) studied the willingness of Indonesian consumers to purchase green products. They found that subjective norms, environmental self-identity, moral obligations, and consumer environmental willingness are the factors that determine consumer willingness to buy green products [10]. Olufemi & Olatunji (2019) used multiple regression analysis to analyze the purchase intention of textile products in Nigeria and found that consumer shopping experience and product understanding significantly positively impact consumer purchase intention [11]. The results showed that attitude significantly positively impacts the willingness to buy counterfeit clothing [12]. Ha & Nguyen (2019) explored the impact of different factors on Vietnamese consumers' desire to shop online, and the results showed that subjective norms, perceived ease of use, trust, attitude, and perceived usefulness have a positive impact on consumers' willingness to shop online [13]. Pal et al. (2018) found that the form and transparency of juice product packaging significantly impact consumer purchase intention [14]. In contrast, brand passion has a more significant impact on consumer purchase intention of luxury products [15]. The study found that crowded and chaotic store environmental pollution for edible products can decrease consumer purchase intention. However, for non-edible products, environmental pollution does not significantly negatively impact consumer purchase intention [16]. The attitude of the mediating variable partially mediates the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable's purchase intention [17]. In Cavite et al.‘s (2022) analysis of the impact of consumer willingness to purchase organic rice from Thailand, structural equation modeling was used to investigate the positive effects of health awareness, subjective norms, and product traceability knowledge on consumer purchase intention [18].
In contrast, consumer pleasure and trust significantly positively affect consumer repeat purchase intention [19]. Liu Fengjun et al. (2020) found that both practicality and hedonism positively impact consumer purchase intention using quantitative models to study online live-streaming marketing analysis [20]. Xiao Kaihong et al. (2021) studied consumer purchase intention using the S-O-R model. They found that the traits of opinion leaders and the promotional incentives of merchants indirectly affect consumer purchase intention through perceived value and perceived trust [21]. Ye Chenxi et al. (2021) used an empirical model to study the impact of poverty alleviation live streaming on consumer purchase intention and found that product matching and service experience have a significant positive effect on perceived quality, and perceived quality also has a considerable positive impact on consumer purchase intention [22]. Xie Weitong et al. (2022) used quantitative research methods to study consumer purchase intention and concluded that brand awareness promotes consumer purchase intention by increasing consumer perception. The study found that consumer perception partially mediates[23].
2.2 Theoretical Basis
This study combines the ABC attitude theory model with the S-O-R model to provide a theoretical framework for the impact mechanism of e-commerce live streaming on consumer purchase intention under the background of the internet celebrity economy.
2.2.1 ABC Attitude Theory
The ABC Attitude Model is a theoretical model used in modern consumer behavior to explain the psychological processes of consumer attitude formation, consisting of Emotion, Cognition, and Behavior Tendency. Emotion refers to the emotions or feelings that consumers have towards the attitude object; Behavior refers to the willingness of consumers to take action toward a particular attitude; Cognition is the psychological process by which consumers process information about attitude objects.
This theory defines the initial subjective motivation of consumers towards attitude objects as three levels of influence relationships. The first level suggests that cognition indirectly influences behavior by influencing emotions, indicating that consumers first use product information to establish their understanding, then form their perception of the product through the acquired cognition, and ultimately generate corresponding behavioral preferences. The second level believes that in psychological development, consumers will only make purchasing decisions based on their cognition and criticize the product after use. The third level believes emotions directly affect behavior and cognitive outcomes, indicating that external factors such as advertising design and brand marketing can impact consumer purchasing behavior tendencies.
The ABC attitude model is often used in practical research to study consumer purchasing behavior tendencies. Therefore, the ABC attitude theory was chosen to provide a theoretical framework for the model construction of this study.
2.2.2 S-O-R theory
The S-O-R (Stimulus Organism Response) model was proposed by Mehrabian and Russell in 1974, where stimulus (S) represents the external environment, organism (O) represents cognition and emotion, and reflection (R) represents approaching or avoidance behavior. As shown in Figure 2.1, the mechanism of action is that when an individual receives positive or negative stimuli from the external environment, they will generate corresponding cognition and emotion, leading to corresponding tightening or avoidance behavior. This study is based on the S-O-R theoretical model, as shown in Figure 2.2, to determine that the dimensions of e-commerce live streaming are stimuli, cognitive and emotional attitudes are the body, and purchase intention is trend behavior or avoidance behavior.
Fig. 2.1. S-O-R Theory
Fig. 2.2. Path diagram based on S-O-R theory
III. Methodology
3.1 Model Construction
Based on the research of existing scholars on purchase intention, it has been found that most scholars classify it based on the overall dimension of e-commerce live streaming. In contrast, some scholars classify it based on the personal attributes of internet celebrity hosts. Based on the research content of this article, the overall dimension of e-commerce live streaming is used for classification. Therefore, this study will be divided into three aspects: internet celebrity anchors, products, and consumers. High interactivity and internet celebrity professionalism can be separated from the perspective of internet celebrity anchors, while preferential policies and high-quality content can be divided from the perspective of products; Trust and perceived risk are approached from the perspective of consumers. High interactivity reflects that internet celebrity anchors can interact with consumers promptly and respond to their questions and needs, enhancing trust between them and gaining a better understanding of product information. The professionalism of internet celebrities reflects their knowledge of recommending products and their professional ability to live-stream sales. Consumers will also transform the professional ability of internet celebrity anchors into support and trust for them. The preferential policies are aimed at the product's price, and the price advantage has aroused consumers' strong interest in the product. Consumers in front of the screen prefer high-quality live-streaming content, and valuable information is crucial. The authenticity and usefulness of product information and the quality of the product will directly affect consumer trust in internet celebrity anchors. The risks arising from the uncertainty of the product itself will reduce consumers' willingness to purchase.
This study decided to use consumer attitude as a mediator variable. Internet celebrity anchors, relying on their professional skills and high-quality information content, gradually influence consumers' cognitive and emotional changes toward products. The gradual shift in consumer attitudes generates trend behavior toward consumer purchasing intentions.
Based on the previous research on the internet celebrity economy, e-commerce live streaming. Purchase intention, as well as the understanding of the ABC theory model and S-O-R theory model, this article proposes the following model construction ideas: a conceptual model with consumer purchase intention as the dependent variable, cognitive state, and emotional attitude as the mediating variables, high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, perceived risk, and internet celebrity professionalism as independent variables, And provide theoretical structural support for variable design and research hypotheses in the following text. As shown in Figure 3.1
Fig. 3.1. Research on the Impact of E-commerce Live Streaming on Consumer Purchase Intention under the Internet Celebrity Economy
3.2 Research hypotheses
By summarizing relevant literature reviews and combining them with observation and analysis of the behavior of internet celebrity hosts and consumers in live streaming sales. Finally, this study selected six influencing factors, namely high interactivity, preferential policies, high-quality content, trust, professionalism of internet celebrities, and perceived risk, as predictive variables. Emotional and cognitive attitudes were used as mediating variables. The definitions of eight variables were summarized, and the reasons for choosing these variables were explained.
3.2.1 High interactivity
High interactivity refers to the high-frequency interaction and communication between internet celebrity hosts and consumers during live-streaming sales. With the improvement of online live streaming technology, the duration of live streaming delays is becoming shorter and shorter, making interaction and communication between internet celebrity anchors and consumers more effective. In the early stages of e-commerce development, the channels for consumers to understand products or services were still limited to static text and images. Internet celebrity anchors provide professional answers for each consumer or achieve personalized service requirements for consumers. Timely answers from the anchor will increase consumers' viewing time in the live broadcast room, make consumers more satisfied with the anchor's service, and generate positive emotions and further cognitive feelings towards the product, promoting consumer purchase intention. Therefore, this study will use "high interactivity" as the explanatory variable. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H1: High interactivity during internet celebrity live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H2: High interactivity during internet celebrity live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H3: High interactivity during internet celebrity live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer purchase intention.
3.2.2 Preferential Policies
Preferential policies refer to the promotional activities adopted by internet celebrity hosts during live-streaming sales to incentivize consumers to make purchases, such as discounts, pre-sales, discounts on live-streaming products, and limited-time flash sales. Wu Feng (2016) found in their study of the impact of online live streaming marketing on purchase intention that price discounts for products in e-commerce live streaming have a positive effect on consumer purchase intention [24]. This study found that price is always an important factor affecting product sales through on-site observation of popular live-streaming sales on various platforms and the research results of existing scholars. Therefore, this study summarizes preferential policies as explanatory variables. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H4: Preferential policies positively impact consumers' emotional attitudes during internet celebrity live-streaming sales.
Hypothesis H5: Preferential policies during internet celebrity live-streaming sales positively impact consumer cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H6: Preferential policies positively impact consumer purchase intention during internet celebrity live-streaming sales.
3.2.3 Trust
Trust refers to consumer trust in internet celebrity anchors and the quality of products they recommend during live streaming. It is the overall evaluation of the ability and honesty of internet celebrity anchors by their fans. The reputation of consumers after using the product and their daily communication with fans significantly impact the trust of internet celebrity anchors. Therefore, this study summarizes "trust" as an explanatory variable. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H7: Trust positively impacts consumers' emotional attitudes during internet celebrity live-streaming sales.
Hypothesis H8: Trust positively impacts consumer cognitive attitudes during internet celebrity live-streaming sales.
Hypothesis H9: Trust in consumer purchase intention positively impacts online celebrity live-streaming sales
3.2.4 High-quality content
High-quality content refers to the process of live streaming sales by internet celebrity anchors based on the high-quality live content of consumers, which not only comprehensively displays recommended products but also meets the personalized requirements of consumers. In the era of online live-streaming marketing, internet celebrity anchors can use live-streaming platforms to more intuitively and stereoscopically display products in front of consumers. At the same time, anchors will display relevant product information according to consumer needs. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H10: High-quality content during internet celebrity live streaming sales positively impacts consumer emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H11: High-quality content during internet celebrity live streaming sales positively impacts consumer cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H12: High-quality content during internet celebrity live streaming sales positively impacts consumer purchase intention.
3.2.5 Perceived risk
Perceived risk in this study refers to the uncertainty that consumers experience when making purchases regarding whether a product can meet their expectations. In his study on cross-border e-commerce platforms, Jia Mumin （2018）analyzed the purchase intention of mother and baby products using quantitative research and found that perceived risk negatively affects consumer purchase intention [25]. Therefore, this study summarizes "perceive drisk" as an explanatory variable.
Based on this, this study proposes a hypothesis: Hypothesis H13: Perceived risks during internet celebrity live-streaming sales have a negative impact on consumer emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H14: Perceived risks during internet celebrity live-streaming sales have a negative impact on consumer cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H15: Perceived risks during internet celebrity live-streaming sales have a negative impact on consumer purchase intention.
3.2.6 Professionalism of internet celebrities
Internet celebrity professionalism refers to the ability of Internet celebrity anchors to possess professional knowledge of related products, the professional ability of live streaming sales, rich practical experience in the field, and the ability to provide correct product information and answer product-related questions. It found that if communicators have more professional knowledge, their recommended products are more readily accepted by consumers, and consumers have higher credibility towards communicators with professional knowledge [26]. This study summarizes "internet celebrity professionalism" as an explanatory variable. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Assuming H16: The professionalism of internet celebrities during live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer emotional attitudes.
Assuming H17: The professionalism of internet celebrities during live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer cognitive attitudes.
Assuming H18: The professionalism of internet celebrities during live-streaming sales positively impacts consumer purchase intention.
3.2.7 Cognitive attitudes
Cognitive attitude is the cognitive perception consumers form after obtaining and processing relevant information about a product. During the entire live broadcast, consumers are influenced by professional and vivid product introductions from influencers, timely communication and interaction with influencers, high-quality live content, and the opinions of other consumers in the live broadcast room through their own observation and judgment of the product. These factors affect consumers' cognitive attitudes, influencing their purchasing decisions. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H19: Cognitive attitudes have a positive impact on consumer purchase intention during the process of internet celebrity live-streaming sales.
Hypothesis H19a: High interactivity indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H19b: Preferential policies indirectly affect consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H19c: Trust indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
Assuming H19d: High-quality content indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
Hypothesis H19e: Perceived risk indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
Assuming H19f: The professionalism of internet celebrities indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes.
3.2.8 Emotional attitudes
Emotional attitude refers to the positive or negative subjective feelings formed by consumers through watching live streaming of internet celebrity sales, influenced by various factors. Yan Miaomiao（2021）used empirical analysis to study consumer purchase intention and found that emotional attitudes significantly positively impact consumer purchase intention [27]. Based on this, a hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis H20: Emotional attitude positively impacts consumer purchase intention during influencer live-streaming sales.
Hypothesis H20a: High interactivity indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H20b: Preferential policies indirectly affect consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H20c: Trust indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H20d: High-quality content indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
Hypothesis H20e: Perceived risk indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
Assuming H20f: The professionalism of internet celebrities indirectly affects consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes.
3.3 Scale design
This study proposes three or more measurement dimensions for independent variables, dependent variables, and mediating variables to ensure higher reliability of empirical data.
Table 3.1. Measurement items for predictive variables
Table 3.2. Consumer Attitude Measurement Items
Table 3.3. Measurement items for purchase intention variables
3.4 Questionnaire design
Based on theoretical assumptions and scale design, the corresponding questionnaire designed by the author passed reliability and validity analysis. Before determining the formal content of the questionnaire, the validity and reliability of the questionnaire content are first tested. This time, 10 relevant experts are invited to conduct validity tests, which mainly focus on three aspects: overall design, content design, and structural design. The score is based on a 5-point scale, and the corresponding validity questionnaire options and scores are: very dissatisfied 0, dissatisfied 2, average 3, satisfied 4, and very satisfied 5. According to the score, all three items have a score of 4.8, with a validity of 96% and a high score. Therefore, the content of the questionnaire survey can be determined and distributed. The specific scores for each major are shown in Table 1:
Table 3.4. Score of questionnaire validity test
Table 3.4.1. Basic Information of Survey Groups
3.4.1 Descriptive analysis
The basic information of the surveyed group is as follows:
The distribution of questionnaires was mainly carried out through the Wenjuanxing platform link. A total of 923 data were obtained through channels such as WeChat, QQ, and Wenjuanxing push services. 213 invalid questionnaires were deleted, and a total of 710 valid questionnaires were obtained. The effective rate of formal survey data was 76.92%. In subsequent studies, data analysis and validation will be conducted on the valid sample data.
To ensure the reliability of this survey, a retesting method will be used to test the questionnaire. The questionnaire will be distributed twice, and after the first survey, the same survey questionnaire will be distributed to the same survey subject for two weeks. The correlation coefficients of the two questionnaires will be compared to determine whether the reliability meets the basic requirements of the questionnaire. The final measured reliability value of this questionnaire is 0.85. According to the requirement that a score greater than 0.8 is considered qualified, this questionnaire design has high reliability.
IV. Empirical analysis
Establish a measurement model and model using AMOS to examine the impact of e-commerce live streaming on consumer purchase intention in the internet celebrity economy. Select characteristic statistical variables for multi-group analysis to examine whether there are differences in the mechanism of the model's action.
4.1 Model establishment and verification
As shown in Table 4-1, the validation analysis results of the impact model of e-commerce live streaming on consumer purchase intention under the internet celebrity economy are constructed, demonstrating the model's path relationship while proving its convergence reliability.
Table 4.1. Results of confirmatory factor analysis for theoretical models
The standardized path coefficient is shown in Figure 4.1:
Fig. 4.1. Empirical Model of the Impact of E-commerce Live Streaming on Consumer Purchase Intention
The first step in conducting empirical analysis is to test the fit of the constructed structural equation model. Draw a path map of the structural equation model and run the model to obtain the values of the model's path coefficient, fit indicators, and test statistics. Determine whether the fit of the sample data with the entire theoretical model meets the research requirements.
Table 4.2 shows that the chi-square degree of freedom ratio (X2/df) between the model and sample data in this study is 2.459, which is less than 3. The root mean square error (RMSEA) is 0.045, the fitness index (GFI) is 0.916, the adjusted fitness index (AGFI) is 0.896, the comparative fitness index (CFI) is 0.959, the standardized fitness index (NFI) is 0.933, and the incremental fitness index (IFI) is 0.959. The results of the above indicators indicate that this data fits well with the model.
Table 4.2. Empirical Model Indicator Fitting Results
4.2 Path Analysis
From the data of each pathway in Table 3.3, it can be seen that the P-value of perceived risk on cognitive attitude is more significant than 0.05; The P-value of perceived risk on emotional attitudes is more significant than 0.05, while the P-values of all remaining pathways are less than 0.05. High interactivity (0.244) has the most significant impact on the mediating variable of cognitive attitude. Internet celebrity anchors engage in efficient communication and interaction with consumers, timely respond to questions raised by consumers, meet their personalized needs, improve their cognitive attitude, and promote their purchase intention. For the mediating variable of emotional attitude, trust (0.247) and internet celebrity professionalism (0.212) have the most significant impact. Through their professional explanations and answers, internet celebrity anchors meet the needs of consumers, enhance their trust in the product and internet celebrity anchors, and make consumer emotional attitudes more favorable, thereby promoting consumer purchasing behavior. Emotional attitude (0.254) has a more significant impact on consumer purchase intention than cognitive attitude (0.159), so internet celebrity anchors should pay more attention to changes in consumer emotional attitudes.
Table 4.3. Full Model Path Analysis
From the data in Table 4.4, it can be seen that for the path analysis of emotional attitudes in various dimensions of internet celebrity live streaming, the significance level P value of high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and internet celebrity professionalism is less than 0.05. In contrast, the significance level P value of perceived risk is greater than 0.05. So, it can be concluded that high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and emotional attitudes toward consumers have a significant positive impact. At the same time, the perceived risk does not meet the hypothesis. H1, H4, H7, H10, and H16 hold, while hypothesis H13 does not hold. The path analysis of cognitive attitudes in various dimensions of internet celebrity live streaming found that the significance level P value of high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and internet celebrity professionalism was less than 0.05. In contrast, the significance level P value of perceived risk was greater than 0.05. Path analysis was conducted on the impact of various dimensions of internet celebrity live streaming and mediating variables on the dependent variable of purchase intention. It was found that the P-values of high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, perceived risk, internet celebrity professionalism, cognitive attitude, and emotional attitude were all less than 0.05, indicating that all independent variables and mediating variables had a significant impact on the dependent variable. Therefore, hypotheses H3, H6, H9, H12, H18, H19, and H20 are all valid.
Table 4.4. Results of hypothesis validation for the entire model
4.3 Hypothesis testing of mediation relationships
This study uses cognitive and emotional attitudes as mediating variables and conducts multiple mediation analyses. The criterion for constructing confidence intervals to test the mediating effect using the Bootstrap method is to examine whether the 95% confidence interval contains 0 to determine whether the mediating effect is significant. The parameters were set to Bootstrap 5000 times, and the confidence interval for bias correction and enhancement was 95%. Run the model data to calculate the ab coefficient and its 95% confidence interval, and obtain the data in Tables 3-4 and 3-5.
4.3.1 Testing the mediating effect of cognitive attitudes
The results in Table 4.5 indicate that high interactivity significantly influences consumer purchase intention by enhancing their cognitive attitude, with a mediation value of 0.033. This path's 95% confidence interval is [0.007, 0.079] and does not include 0, and the hypothesis H19a of the relationship is validated. The mediating effect of preferential policies on enhancing consumer cognitive attitudes and promoting their purchase intention is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.024 and a confidence interval of 95% [0.005, 0.060] and excluding 0; the relationship hypothesis H19b has been validated. The mediating effect of trust in promoting consumer purchase intention through enhancing cognitive attitudes is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.029 and a confidence interval of [0.006, 0.070] excluding 0. The mediating effect of improving cognitive attitudes to promote purchase intention through high-quality content is significant, with a value of 0.023 and a confidence interval of [0.004, 0.063] excluding 0. The mediating effect of perceived risk on reducing purchase intention by reducing cognitive attitude is insignificant, with an effect value of 0.007 and a confidence interval of [-0.001, 0.024], including 0. The mediating effect of internet celebrity professionalism in promoting purchase intention through enhancing cognitive attitudes is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.026 and a confidence interval of [0.005, 0.070]. The confidence interval does not include 0, and the hypothesis H19f of the relationship is validated.
Table 4.5. Results of the mediation effect test of cognitive attitudes
4.3.2 Testing the mediating effect of emotional attitudes
The results in Table 4.6 show the test results of the mediating effect of emotional attitudes on e-commerce live streaming and purchase intention under the internet celebrity economy. High interactivity significantly promotes the impact of purchase intention by increasing emotional attitudes, with a mediation effect value of 0.039 and a 95% confidence interval of [0.011, 0.094] excluding 0. The mediating effect of preferential policies on promoting purchase intention through increasing emotional attitudes is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.029. The confidence interval at 95% confidence level is [0.004, 0.076] and does not include 0. The mediating effect of trust in promoting purchase intention through increasing emotional attitudes is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.067. Its 95% confidence interval is [0.024, 0.132] and does not include 0. The mediating effect of high-quality content on purchase intention is significant by increasing emotional attitudes, with a mediating effect value of 0.039 and a confidence interval of [0.010, 0.094]. The mediating effect of perceived risk on reducing consumer emotional attitudes and purchase intention is insignificant, with an effect value of -0.005 and a confidence interval of [-0.026, 0.008], including 0. The mediating effect of internet celebrity professionalism in promoting purchase intention through increasing emotional attitudes is significant, with a mediating effect value of 0.053 and a confidence interval of [0.020, 0.113], excluding 0.
Table 4.6. Testing the mediating effect of emotional attitudes
4.4 Model correction
According to the path analysis and mediation test results, the revised model is shown in Figure 3-2. The study found that high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, professionalism of internet celebrities, and perceived risk significantly impact consumer purchase intention. Cognitive and emotional attitudes have a significant positive effect on consumer purchase intention. Consumer attitudes partially mediate consumer purchase intention in the five dimensions of high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and professionalism of internet celebrities.
Fig. 4.2. Modification of consumer purchase intention model by e-commerce live broadcast in the online celebrity economy
The study found that perceived risk did not significantly negatively impact consumers' emotional and cognitive attitudes, and the partial mediating effect of consumer attitude between perceived risk and consumer purchase intention was insignificant.
In this study, the measurement of perceived risk only focuses on consumers' financial and psychological risks when purchasing products without considering other risk dimensions. Therefore, this study found that the effect of perceived risk on consumer attitudes is insignificant, and there is no mediating effect of consumer attitudes between perceived risk and purchase intention.
V. Conclusion and Suggestions
5.1 Conclusion
The main conclusions of this article are as follows:
(1) High interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, perceived risk, and professionalism of internet celebrities significantly impact consumer purchase intention. Research has found that in live-streaming sales, consumers receive timely communication and interaction from internet celebrity hosts, stimulating discount incentives, reliable and comprehensive product information, and high-quality and professional explanations during live-streaming, all of which can enhance their purchasing intention.
Both consumer cognitive and emotional attitudes significantly impact consumer purchase intention. The research results confirm that emotional attitude (0.254) is more effective in influencing consumer purchase intention than cognitive attitude (0.159).
High interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and professionalism of internet celebrities significantly impact consumer emotional attitudes. The results show that the professionalism of internet celebrities (0.212) and trust (0.247) have the most significant impact on consumer emotional attitudes.
(2) Consumer attitude partially mediates between various dimensions of internet celebrity live streaming and consumer purchase intention. The research results found that explanatory variables (high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and professionalism of internet celebrities) have an indirect impact on consumer purchase intention through cognitive attitudes, and cognitive attitudes play a partial mediating role between explanatory variables and consumer purchase intention; The explanatory variables (high interactivity, preferential policies, trust, high-quality content, and professionalism of internet celebrities) have an indirect impact on consumer purchase intention through emotional attitudes, and emotional attitudes play a partial mediating role between the explanatory variables and consumer purchase intention.
5.2 Suggestions
5.2.1 Suggestions for Internet Celebrity Anchors
Establish a good image and improve professional skills. The image of internet celebrities not only represents the personal image of internet celebrity anchors but also reflects the image of products recommended by internet celebrities. Internet celebrity anchors can generate a good brand effect by establishing a good personal image, such as Taobao's live streaming of Li Jiaqi, to gain fans' trust and ensure that fans and consumers have no worries after purchasing.
5.2.2 Suggestions for e-commerce live streaming marketing
Most e-commerce companies can incentivize consumers to shop through methods such as buying gifts, limited-time purchases, special offers, and pre-sales. E-commerce can also attract consumers and increase their consumption emotions through measures such as discounts and promotions. In addition, it is also possible to invite traffic celebrities and internet celebrity anchors to work together to enhance consumer purchasing desire through unique live-streaming formats.
5.2.3 Suggestions for Consumers
Obtain more information and increase risk awareness. Empirical analysis shows that interactive communication, product price discounts, and high-quality live-streaming content by internet celebrity anchors can all stimulate consumers to purchase. Consumers should make self-judgments about the products recommended by internet celebrities.
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