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The effect of cross-gender endorsement in live streaming:the moderating role of sexually related products

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  • Mo, Shuwei
  • Yang, Yixing

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of cross-gender endorsements in live-streaming e-commerce on consumer behaviors, revealing the mediating pathway through engagement atmosphere and the boundary of sexually related products (e.g., intimate apparel). Based on 325,298 livestreaming records from Douyin (TikTok China), Word2Vec-RF sentiment analysis and econometric regression are employed. The findings indicate that cross-gender endorsements (e.g., male streamers promoting female-targeted products or female streamers promoting male-targeted products) reduce livestream sales. Further mechanism analysis demonstrates that the engagement atmosphere (e.g., danmaku emotion, virtual gifts and purchasing display) in live streaming mediates this relationship. Simultaneously, sexually related products activate consumers’ short-term mating motives and mitigate status quo bias, thereby weakening the negative impact of cross-gender endorsements on livestream revenue. The research uncovers the dynamic interplay between gender roles and product categories, providing theoretical support for e-commerce platforms to optimize streamer-gender matching strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mo, Shuwei & Yang, Yixing, 2026. "The effect of cross-gender endorsement in live streaming:the moderating role of sexually related products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:90:y:2026:i:c:s0969698925004552
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104676
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