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Communication consistency in B2B livestreaming: effects of explanatory and affective cues on streamer’s sales performance

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Lu
  • Fang, Jiaming
  • Ji, Zhenyu
  • Hossin, Md. Altab

Abstract

Despite the growing adoption of Business-to-Business (B2B) livestreaming platforms, limited research has examined how streamers can effectively engage reseller firms (i.e., B2B buyers) and facilitate sales. Drawing on cue consistency theory, this study investigates the roles of explanatory consistency—congruence of introduction contents—and affective consistency—congruence of vocal emotion and facial expression—in influencing sales performance. Using a dataset of 980 livestreaming videos from 12 industry categories, this study applies deep learning techniques to detect consistent cues and evaluate their impact with econometric models. Results indicate that explanatory consistency and affective consistency positively influence sales performance. The positive effect of explanatory consistency on sales performance intensifies with explanatory concreteness, while the positive effect of affective consistency on sales performance diminishes under affective polarity. These findings offer actionable insights for B2B livestreaming platforms, brand companies (i.e., B2B sellers), and streamers, highlighting strategies of streamer behavior to enhance sales.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Lu & Fang, Jiaming & Ji, Zhenyu & Hossin, Md. Altab, 2026. "Communication consistency in B2B livestreaming: effects of explanatory and affective cues on streamer’s sales performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:205:y:2026:i:c:s0148296325007325
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115909
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