The Mediation Effect of Herd Behavior on the Impact of Trust on Purchase Intention: A Focus on Livestream E-commerce in China

Purpose – In recent years, with the development of 5G technology and the rise of webcasting, livestream e-commerce has become a main shopping channel for consumers. Capturing the user behavior mechanism and understanding its influencing factors are of great importance for livestream e-commerce. Based on previous studies, this study proposes a research model mediated by herd behavior, attempting to illustrate how the three types of trust in livestream e-commerce affect final purchase intention through herd behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach – To achieve the research purpose, independent variables were selected by searching previous literature on livestream e-commerce, and a questionnaire was designed according to the situation in China. The survey was conducted online, and 312 users were surveyed via questionnaire. SmartPLS3.0 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis on variables and test hypotheses through regression analysis. Findings – According to the results of the study, herd behavior has a positive impact on livestream e-commerce consumer purchase intention, and consumer trust in livestream platforms and streamers has a statistically significant impact on herd behavior. Herd mentality plays a mediating role between trust and purchase intention. Research Implications – This study uses the psychological factor of herd behavior to establish an impact mechanism between trust and purchase intention in livestream e-commerce. For livestream platforms and streamers, long-term trust investment in consumers is required to influence consumers in livestream and increase sales opportunities.