A Study On Influential Factors Of Customers' Purchasing Behaviors In E-Commerce Livestreaming On Short Video Platforms

The upgrading of mobile communication technology in China has provided a great driving force for the development of Internet broadcast.In recent years,the field of Internet broadcast has expanded from fashion shows,games to education and social networking,where e-commerce has seized this great opportunity,making"E-commerce livestreaming" 2020 Word of the Year based on its numerous users.Represented by Tik Tok and Kuaishou,short video platforms have stepped into the field of e-commerce livestreaming,converting its users to consumers so as to have their commercial modes further optimized.Being different from platforms such as Taobao and Jingdong,short video platforms get popularity mainly because of their high-quality content,which to some extent caters to people's habit of acquiring fragmented information nowadays.At present,short video platforms are in the initial stage of introducing e-commerce livestreaming,and are still faced with a series of problems,for example,the huge gap of gross merchandise value between different livestreamers.Besides,the number of relevant studies is relatively small,and the model of consumer buying behaviors and the its influencing factors still need to be further explored.In the Internet age,ways and environment of shopping have changed a lot:people have gradually begun and used to shop in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms.Therefore,there are certain theoretical and practical significance to study the influencing factors of consumers buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms.Until now there is no official and accurate definition of e-commerce livestreaming.Based on previous studies,this thesis combs the definition of e-commerce livestreaming and defines it as a commercial form in which individuals or enterprises with e-commerce nature sell commodities through Internet broadcast.Howard-Sheth model is a classic research model studying consumer buying behaviors based on S-O-R model.It was proposed in 1963 and can well explain the consumer buying behaviors in the offline shopping context at that time.However,it needs to be further explored that whether Howard-Sheth model is still applicable for e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms or what modifications can be made to the model under such circumstances.Based on Howard-Sheth model,this thesis studies the influencing factors of consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms,aiming to(1)figure out the influencing factors of consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming of short video platforms.(2)to explore whether Howard-Sheth model can explain consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms.(3)to study what adjustment should be made to the original model in order to better explain the consumer buying behaviors in the new situation.(4)to offer suggestions for livestreamers,e-commerce enterprises and short video platforms.This thesis adopts a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods,and uses literature research,in-depth interview and questionnaire survey.First of all,based on literatures and observation,preliminary outline for the in-depth interview is set.Then,according to the outline,seven frequent users of short video platforms who have at least three experiences of purchasing products in e-commerce livestreaming are interviewed.During the process of the interview,the influencing factors of consumer buying behaviors are figured as well as sorted out.After that,compare the influencing factors with factors in the Howard-Sheth model to see whether dimensions should be added or modified in it.Then preliminary model of consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming of short video platforms is generated and hypothesis are made based on it.In the stage of verification,the model and hypothesis are tested through questionnaires.Likert scale is used in the design of the questionnaires,and questions in them are based on previous literatures and in-depth interviews.After the preliminary investigation,questionnaires are sent in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms through private messages.At the same time,the author sent the questionnaires into the WeChat group and QQ group of short video platforms.Finally,416 valid questionnaires are collected,based on the data of which,SPSS21.0 and AMOS21.0 are used to test the hypothesis as well as the preliminary model.After the adjustment of the preliminary model,the model of consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming of short video platforms is obtained.This thesis summarizes two major influencing factors of consumer buying behaviors in e-commerce livestreaming on short video platforms:internal factors and input factors.Internal factors include consumers' experience and personalities,while input factors consist of three dimensions:product,service and environment.Under product dimension,the influencing factors include product price,product portfolio and product performance.In the service dimension,the influencing factors contain the levels of professionalism of livestreamers,pre-sales introduction and after-sales service.Under the environmental dimension,scene construction,promotional atmosphere and interactive mode are involved.At last,corresponding suggestions are put forward for short video platform and e-commerce enterprises:(1)improve the quality of livestreamers,and the service of pre-sale as well as after-sale;(2)adjust the product structure,and highlight the price advantage;(3)improve the interactive mode and create a promotional atmosphere.