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Instrumental vs. hedonic Affordances: Examining their impact on repurchase behavior on live commerce platforms through self-determination theory

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Hongquan
  • Zhang, Shuhua
  • Shao, Bingjia
  • Zhang, Yong
  • Zhao, Quanwu

Abstract

As live commerce matures in various regions, platform managers face mounting pressure to retain customers in this competitive landscape. To address this challenge, understanding consumers' repurchase behavior has become crucial. While live commerce's interactive nature provides both instrumental and hedonic affordances, their distinct impacts on repurchase behavior remain underexplored. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the underlying mechanisms through which affordances influence consumers' repurchase behavior in live commerce by fostering autonomy, relatedness, and swift guanxi. We adopted a mixed-methods approach with two complementary studies: Study 1 employed Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) analysis of open-ended survey responses to identify and categorize live commerce affordances (instrumental vs. hedonic). Study 2 used a three-wave survey to test our hypotheses about these affordances' effects. Our results demonstrate that: (1) Instrumental affordances (guidance shopping, metavoicing, and visibility) enhance repurchase behavior by fostering autonomy; (2) hedonic affordances (visibility, novelty, and co-presence) promote repurchases through strengthened relatedness; (3) interestingly, swift guanxi negatively moderates the effect of autonomy on repurchase behavior, but not that of relatedness. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the dimensions and the roles of IT affordances in online marketplaces, offering actionable strategies for live commerce practitioners aiming to bolster customer retention.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Hongquan & Zhang, Shuhua & Shao, Bingjia & Zhang, Yong & Zhao, Quanwu, 2026. "Instrumental vs. hedonic Affordances: Examining their impact on repurchase behavior on live commerce platforms through self-determination theory," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:88:y:2026:i:c:s0969698925003005
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104521
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    References listed on IDEAS

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