The Role of Trust in the Influence of Live Streaming Characteristics on Purchase Hesitation: A Conceptual Paper

Abstract

Live streaming commerce has grown rapidly, especially in Indonesia. However, despite its significant growth, there is still a lack of literature on purchase hesitation in this context. Previous studies have focused on consumers' purchase intentions, while purchase hesitation, which is also a crucial part of the decision-making process, remains underexplored. Using the SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response) theory, this study aims to analyze how live streaming commerce characteristics can build trust—trust in
products and trust in streamers—which in turn influences purchase hesitation. The results of this conceptual paper suggest that the characteristics of live streaming commerce (interactivity, visibility, and personalization) positively influence the building of consumer trust in streamers and products, thereby reducing perceived purchase hesitation. Future research is needed through statistical testing using SEM-PLS by collecting data via surveys. A sample size of 260 respondents who have watched live streaming on Shopee is required for this study. The findings are expected to contribute theoretically to filling the literature gap and provide implications for the development of more effective marketing strategies on live streaming platforms, focusing on enhancing consumer trust to mitigate purchase hesitation.

Keywords: live streaming e-commerce; interactivity; visibility; personalization; trust in streamer; trust in product; purchase hesitation