What kind of customers, commodity and context matching produces high consumer loyalty? – fsQCA research based on social cognitive theory

Purpose Live-streaming e-commerce offers new opportunities for retailers to increase sales and has received sustained academic attention. However, prior research has overlooked the fact that loyalty among live-streaming consumers stems from the interplay of their personal characteristics, shopping experiences and the context of the live-streaming environment. This study constructs a research framework from the perspective of customers, commodity and context (3C) matching to an understanding of consumer behavioral loyalty. Design/methodology/approach Based on social cognitive theory, this study investigates the configuration effect of consumer traits (trust, price consciousness and product and/or service importance), shopping experience (hedonistic and utilitarian) and live-streaming context (para-social interaction, information quality and streamer attractiveness) on consumer loyalty behaviors. Findings By using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method, it was found that none of the elements of 3C matching can serve as a necessary condition for consumer behavioral loyalty individually, but para-social interaction plays a more pervasive role in generating high consumer loyalty. Practical implications This study identifies four 3C matching patterns that influence the loyalty of live-streaming e-commerce consumers: “buy-as-you-see” consumers, utilitarian-oriented consumers, live-streaming tracking consumers and rationality-oriented consumers. It is suggested that female consumers are becoming more rational and pay more attention to the para-social interaction, information quality and product and/or service importance, rather than the stereotypical unplanned, high impulse-buying tendency without careful consideration. Originality/value This study expands the context and scope of social cognition theory responds to the call for identifying the “live-streaming e-commerce 3C matching rule”, and the research findings have theoretical value in revealing the customer, commodity and context matching pattern of high consumer loyalty in live-streaming e-commerce.