Abstract
In a physical retail store, consumers are able to use their sensory organs (i.e., touch, taste, smell) to evaluate a product prior to making a purchase. However, consumers are limited in their ability to do so in an online retail environment. Unlike most forms of e-commerce where consumers do not experience physical or temporal proximity to the product, live streaming e-commerce offers the advantage of temporal proximity in the form of real-time interaction that can enhance sensory engagement. This study examines whether the psychological mechanisms of narrative transportation, immersion, and psychological proximity function as parallel mediators that facilitate consumers’ ability to mentally simulate product use (i.e., psychological product trial) and influence purchase intention.
Drawing on social presence theory, narrative transportation theory and construal level theory, the current research uses a 2x2 between-subjects experiment with 356 female U.S. participants to compare livestream (vs. website) formats and celebrity (vs non-celebrity) live streamers. Participants watched either a live stream or a static website presentation of a personal care brand, then completed a 25-item survey measuring seven constructs: streamer social presence, viewer social presence, narrative transportation, immersion, psychological proximity, product trial, and purchase intention.
Results from Two-Way ANOVAs and moderated mediation analyses indicate that livestreams significantly increased narrative transportation and immersion but not psychological proximity. Celebrity presence did not moderate any of the relationships among these three variables. Narrative transportation, immersion, and psychological proximity each positively influenced psychological product trial and purchase intention. However, websites were more effective than livestreams at increasing purchase intention.
This thesis refines social presence theory by showing its limits in a live stream context, validates narrative transportation under realistic commercial conditions, and extends construal level theory by demonstrating that temporal immediacy alone cannot overcome psychological distance. Practical implications suggest that brands should focus on compelling, sensory-rich storytelling in livestreams and integrate seamless website checkouts to convert engagement into sales.