The interactive effect of streamer nationality and product characteristics on consumers’ purchase intention in cross-border live streaming e-commerce

Purpose Although many studies focused on the importance of live streamers, few have considered the potential advantages of streamer nationality in cross-border live streaming e-commerce. Drawing on the match-up hypothesis, this study investigates how streamer nationality (country-of-origin vs local) and product characteristics (with vs without country-of-origin characteristics) interact to affect consumers’ purchase intentions in cross-border live streaming e-commerce. Design/methodology/approach Two 2 (streamer nationality: country-of-origin vs local) × 2 (product characteristics: with vs without country-of-origin characteristics) experiment studies were conducted to examine our research hypotheses. The sample included 525 subjects recruited from online platform. Findings The results show that country-of-origin streamers can increase consumers’ purchase intentions more than local streamers for products with country-of-origin characteristics, while local streamers can increase consumers’ purchase intentions more than country-of-origin streamers for products without country-of-origin characteristics. Furthermore, source credibility mediates the interactive effects of streamer nationality and product characteristics on consumers’ purchase intention. Originality/value This research reveals the role of cross-border live-streamer nationality, specifically the interactive effect of product characteristics, and enriches the literature on cross-border live streaming e-commerce. Moreover, the results help cross-border e-commerce enterprises develop effective live-streamer selection strategies to increase live streaming returns.