Digital Interaction Mechanisms in Live Commerce: Effects on Customer Engagement and Purchase Intention among Generation Z

Abstract

Live commerce is a technology-mediated commerce environment that integrates real-time communication, platform interactivity, and digital engagement into online shopping. Despite its rapid growth, limited research has examined how platform-mediated interaction mechanisms jointly influence customer engagement and purchase intention, particularly among Generation Z consumers in emerging digital economies. This study investigates the effects of promotion intensity, live host interactivity, and host credibility on customer engagement and purchase intention in live commerce on the "Orange" e-commerce platform. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, these variables are conceptualized as interaction mechanisms that shape customer engagement and behavioral outcomes. A quantitative exploratory approach was employed using data from 210 respondents with live commerce experience, analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that promotion intensity, live host interactivity, and host credibility positively and significantly affect both customer engagement and purchase intention. Customer engagement also has a significant positive influence on purchase intention. The proposed model explains 55.2% of the variance in customer engagement and 68.3% of the variance in purchase intention. These findings highlight the importance of platform-mediated interaction mechanisms in enhancing user engagement and purchase behavior, contributing empirical evidence to Information Systems research on technology-enabled digital commerce ecosystems.