Impulse buying behavior during livestreaming: Moderating effects of scarcity persuasion and price perception

This research aimed to identify the factors that influence impulse buying behavior during livestreaming and advance the existing literature based on a proposed conceptual framework grounded in the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model. We also tested the moderating effects of price perception and scarcity persuasion. An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 837 Chinese participants aged over 18 years. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling using Smart-PLS version 4.0. The findings showed that susceptibility to social influence, impulse buying tendency, cognitive reactions, affective reactions, and the urge to buy impulsively are statistically significant predictors of impulse buying during livestreaming, with price perception and scarcity persuasion as moderators. The study expands the S-O-R model for livestreaming impulse buying in e-commerce context, highlighting its multifaceted nature and revealing the mediating role of Urge to Buy Impulsively in translating cognitive and emotional factors into impulse buying behavior. These insights offer practical guidance for marketers to design tailored strategies that leverage psychological triggers and external cues to enhance consumer engagement and encourage desired behaviors, ultimately leading to more effective marketing campaigns and improved consumer experiences.

Characteristics, hotspots, and prospects of short video research: A review of papers published in China from 2012 to 2022

In recent years, due to the increase in their global popularity, short video applications have become an important topic of research. The number of users has now exceeded one billion in China; accordingly, Chinese researchers have conducted many studies on short videos. Their findings can serve as important references for both theoretical research on and the practical development of short videos worldwide. In this study, we used bibliometrics method and the CiteSpace application to analyze the content of 2163 representative research papers on short videos published in China from 2012 to 2022. The number of such papers is increasing annually in China; moreover, several core groups of authors and research institutions focusing on short video research have already been formed. Some popular topics of research on these videos include the main characteristics of short videos, phenomenon of media convergence based on short videos, and application scenarios of short videos. Over the years, research on the popular short video application Douyin has been increasing, as well. The research results indicate that issues such as the marketing of short knowledge videos, standardized management of short video platforms, and impact of these videos on the education of college students are expected to become popular subjects of scholarly research in the near future.

Semantic Technology and Anthropomorphism

A long-standing debate exists on whether robots need personality. With voice assistants (VAs) (i.e., Google Assistant and Apple's Siri) as the research context, this study employed the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model and the theory of reasoned action to investigate how the personalities that VAs display (i.e., humanlike traits and behavior traits) influence perceived risk, perceived enjoyment, trust, attitude to use, and continued usage intention. The results show that when VAs have more humanlike linguistic traits, such as tone and phrasing, and more positive behavior traits, such as politeness and helpfulness, users enjoy using VAs more, have more trust in VAs, and display a greater willingness to continue using VAs. Unlike past studies focusing on technical aspects, the results of this study provide decision-makers with a new perspective, showing that using more humanlike designs and giving VAs unique personalities can build user trust and increase willingness to use VAs.

Towards Perceived Playfulness and Adoption of Hearables in Smart Cities of China

'Hearables' have become important in the aging population. This study investigates whether smart technologies help middle-aged and elderly people accept hearing aid devices in smart cities of China. The authors adopt the PLS-SEM framework to analyze the factors that affect behavioral intention towards adopting hearing aids in smart cities. In order to avoid common method bias, Harman's single factor method is also carried out to make sure the instrument does not introduce a bias. The findings suggest that perceived playfulness and perceived usefulness are principal determinants of hearing aids adoption. In contrast, perceived ease of use, a factor always stressed in literature, does not matter significantly. The results reveal that smart technologies enable patients to access professional services and instructions playfully, which reduces obstacles to adopt hearing aids. This study provides novel insights for policymakers and manufacturers to expand hearing aid adoption by facilitating smart infrastructure and technologies.