Enhanced relationship marketing anchored on digital live selling behaviors and Uses and Gratification Theory

This study explored customer perspectives on digital live selling strategies and their influence on perceived value and relationship quality within the evolving landscape of livestream commerce. Grounded in the Value Creation Sphere Model and using an integrated framework anchored on Relationship Marketing Theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory, the research developed and empirically tested a structural model to explain how seller behaviors and relational selling impact the buyer-seller relationship through the mediating effects of hedonic, social, and utilitarian values. A quantitative, causal-predictive design was employed, with data collected from 397 Filipino millennial online shoppers, all of whom had actively engaged with TikTok live selling for beauty and care products. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate constructs, followed by Structural Equation Modeling using WarpPLS to test hypothesized relationships. The results highlight that livestream selling is not merely a promotional channel but a platform for strategic relationship building, where emotional enjoyment, social interaction, and functional utility converge to shape customer experiences with utilitarian value exhibited the strongest mediating effect. The study contributes to theoretical advancement by integrating marketing and media theories within a Southeast Asian context and offers actionable insights for businesses aiming to cultivate loyalty and sustained engagement in the livestream economy. It also addresses current research gaps by contextualizing value creation and relationship marketing in digitally mediated, real-time environments.