The asymmetric impact of air pollution on livestream E-commerce sales

This study examines the relationship between air pollution and livestream sales in the context of livestream e-commerce, contributing to the literature on environmental economics and adaptive e-commerce strategies. Using fixed effects model and high-frequency transaction data from the TikTok platform, we establish a causal link between air quality, measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI), and livestream e-commerce sales, revealing asymmetric responses. Specifically, a 50-point increase in AQI—equivalent to a shift from “moderate†to “unhealthy†air quality—results in a 4% increase in livestream e-commerce sales. This effect is driven by behavioral and strategic adjustments by streamers. The impact of air pollution on livestream e-commerce sales varies geographically and climatically, with significant temporal asymmetry, peaking five days after the pollution and declining by the sixth day. While the economic impact is notable, the broader societal costs of air pollution remain substantial. These findings provide key insights into how environmental factors, particularly air quality, shape livestream sales in real time, offering practical implications for e-commerce stakeholders seeking to capitalize on content strategy. Additionally, they highlight the pressing need for policy measures aimed at reducing air pollution episodes. Limitations include coarse product classification and lack of individual-level data, suggesting future research explore finer product categories and heterogeneous consumer responses.