Antecedents and Consequences of Gift-Receiving in Livestreaming: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

As a novel and booming medium, the livestreaming industry has attracted millions of broadcasters and viewers worldwide. Gifts from viewers have become the main revenue source for most broadcasters and livestreaming platforms. This study employs data from a major showroom livestreaming platform in China to examine this practice of “gifting” during a livestreaming event. The authors first explore the antecedents of gift-receiving, which mainly focus on the effect of social interaction. The results show that the more social interactions in a live session, the more likely the broadcaster receives more gifts, and the effect is enhanced when a more experienced broadcaster is participating. Furthermore, the authors examine the consequences of gift-receiving and social interaction on broadcasters’ short-term activation and long-term retention. They find that both gift-receiving and social interaction can positively affect broadcasters’ live content provision in the short and long run, and the effects change with the increase of broadcasters’ experiences. This study offers insight into gifting in livestreaming, which gives scope for relevant future explorations.

State boredom increases consumers' gift‐giving intentions in entertainment live‐streaming: A moderated dual‐mediation model

“…Entertainment live‐streaming, a category characterized by live content featuring talents such as singing, dancing, rapping, and chatting (Liu et al, 2022; Ma et al, 2022), has experienced significant popularity globally. A representative instance is Chinese TikTok (Douyin), which offers diverse live‐streaming categories, including entertainment, gaming, outdoor activities, and goods delivery (Douyin Community, 2020).…”

“…Live‐streaming platforms, such as YouTube Live and TikTok, allow streamers to create live content and engage in real‐time interactions with their viewers (Liu et al, 2022; Ma et al, 2022). In entertainment live‐streaming, streamers adopt various strategies to attract viewers, for example, by showcasing special skills (e.g., dancing and singing), displaying appealing appearances, delivering amusing performances, or simply chatting with their viewers (Zhao et al, 2018).…”

“…Extant literature increasingly dedicates attention to gift‐giving in live‐streaming, primarily exploring the effect of streamer characteristics (e.g., trustworthiness and expertise; Li & Peng, 2021; emotion of streamers, Lin et al, 2021), live‐scene characteristics (e.g., telepresence and interactivity; Ma et al, 2022), characteristics of other viewers (e.g., audience size, Lu et al, 2021; social competition, Zhou et al, 2019), and the gratification of givers (e.g., information sharing, Li & Guo, 2021; identity‐based motivation, Li et al, 2021). However, scant scholarly attention has been devoted to investigating the influence of the emotional state of gift‐givers on the motivations and behaviors associated with gift‐giving.…”

Editors’ Parting Thoughts: Retrospective and Prospective

“…JNM is well positioned to champion and support academic research about the emergent technology-fueled evolution of marketing, and to play a major part in the generation of new theories, insights, and managerial guidelines to enhance our understanding of their effects. It is the same role that JNM has played in recent years to promote academic discourse about technologies such as live streaming, digital business platforms, chatbots, and VR marketplaces, and to articulate how and why businesses and customers are adapting to marketing innovations built on these technologies (e.g., Jiménez-Barreto, Rubio, and Molinillo 2023; Kang, Shin, and Ponto 2020; Ma, Liu, and Shen 2022; Rangaswamy et al 2020).…”