Beyond responsiveness-based interactivity: the roles of familiarity and self-investment in psychological ownership and viewer loyalty intentions in live-streaming commerce

Purpose This study investigates how psychological ownership (PO) forms and relates to loyalty-oriented outcomes in live-streaming commerce. Specifically, it examines perceived familiarity and self-investment as two established PO formation routes, while considering responsiveness-based interactivity separately as a context-specific relational antecedent. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was administered to 228 live-streaming viewers in Taiwan, with structural equation modeling used to test the hypothesized relationships. Follow-up semi-structured interviews with five live-streaming practitioners were conducted to contextualize the quantitative findings. Findings In the primary model, perceived familiarity and self-investment were significantly associated with PO, whereas responsiveness-based interactivity was not. Practitioner interviews contextualized this pattern by describing responsiveness alongside conditional viewer influence. PO, in turn, was strongly associated with both loyalty intentions, consistent with endowment-effect logic. Originality/value This study contextualizes PO theory in live-streaming commerce by distinguishing relational responsiveness from consequential control. It positions perceived familiarity and self-investment as established PO formation routes and responsiveness-based interactivity as a separate context-specific antecedent. Practitioner accounts illustrate how responsiveness can coexist with constrained viewer influence over stream outcomes. The findings clarify how the applicability and relative salience of PO formation mechanisms may vary by context and how PO relates to loyalty-oriented intentions.