Effects of Live Commerce Characteristics for Travel Products on Herd Behavior and Impulse Purchase Intention: Mediating Role of Continued Viewing Intention

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of Live Commerce, which has rapidly grown with advancements in digital technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, on herd behavior and impulse buying intention. Live Commerce offers an immersive shopping experience through real-time interactivity, presence, and playability. This effect is especially pronounced for intangible and experiential goods such as travel products. Methods A survey was conducted with 360 viewers of travel product Live Commerce broadcasts, and 310 valid responses were used for analysis after excluding insincere ones. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Smart-PLS to verify the reliability and validity, and structural equation modeling was employed to test the research hypotheses. Results The results revealed that real-time interactivity, presence, and playability significantly influence consumer herd behavior. Additionally, herd behavior positively affected continuous viewing intention and impulse buying intention, with continuous viewing intention acting as a critical factor in enhancing impulse buying intention. Conclusion This study empirically demonstrates that Live Commerce influences consumer behavior and provides the following implications. First, strategic content planning that induces consumer herd behavior is crucial. And, for high-involvement products like travel items, leveraging the host's charisma and real-time communication has proven to be an effective marketing strategy.