Can AI streamers drive purchases in food delivery E-commerce live streaming? Evidence from an O2O platform

AI-enabled e-commerce live broadcast marketing has become a reality. This study explores the role of AI streamers in driving consumer purchases within the food delivery live-streaming sector. Using real-time behavioral data from the Meituan platform—a leading O2O food delivery service—we find that AI streamers significantly enhance live-stream performance by increasing the rate of purchase compared to human streamers. To uncover the mechanistic pathways through which AI streamers influence consumer behavior, we examine the moderating roles of linguistic emotionality and vocal dynamism. Results indicate that the positive impact of AI streamers on purchases is amplified when their language contains higher levels of emotional expressiveness and when their vocal delivery demonstrates greater variability in loudness. Additionally, while complex language styles tend to inhibit purchase behaviors, speech speed and pitch variability are crucial for sustaining consumer engagement. Visual simplicity in the live-stream background also plays a key role in maintaining audience attention. These findings provide actionable guidance for businesses on integrating AI streamers into food delivery live-streaming practices. Specifically, firms can refine the linguistic and vocal strategies of AI streamers to simulate human-like engagement and optimize consumer purchase behaviors. By leveraging these mechanisms, businesses can enhance the effectiveness of AI streamers in food delivery e-commerce, ultimately increasing both consumer engagement and sales performance.