The impact of livestream on the customer's buying intention in an emerging economy: the case of products endorsed by celebrity

Livestream e-commerce is a thriving industry where endorsement effectiveness is critical in the persuading process. However, there has been little research into the livestream e-commerce phenomenon and how online celebrities' characteristics influence customers' decisions. Based on the uses and gratifications theory, credibility and match-up hypothesis research, the study adopts a quantitative approach to collect survey data from 398 participants in Vietnam. Through that, the livestream e-commerce research paradigm was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that endorser-product and live content-product congruence have a beneficial impact on the endorser's attractiveness, trustworthiness, information quality and emotional experience. These variables, in turn, boost the customer's perceived value, which increases their buying intention. Additionally, endorsers' attractiveness has also been illustrated to reinforce the customers buying intention. From the results, several implications are suggested for marketers and online celebrities in order to enhance endorsement effectiveness.