Virtual gifting behavior on new social media: the perspectives of the community gift-giving model and face-negotiation theory

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the factors that affect an audience's purchase decisions on a new type of social media, namely live video streaming platforms.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on data from an online survey providing 488 valid responses. These responses are used to test the research model by employing partial least squares (PLS) modeling.FindingsThree antecedents (consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image) influence the audience's purchase decisions (impulse buying and continuous buying intention). Chinese impression management (mianzi) acts as a moderator. Self-mianzi, mutual mianzi and other mianzi (i.e. three subtypes of mianzi) moderate the effects of consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image on impulse buying.Practical implicationsThe findings encourage practitioners developing marketing strategies for live video streaming platforms in the Chinese cultural context to consider peer influence, gift appearance, broadcaster's image and mianzi.Originality/valueDrawing on the community gift-giving model and face-negotiation theory, this study provides an integrated research model to investigate a new type of social media (live video streaming). It offers insight into virtual gifting behaviors by confirming the effects of three antecedents on the audience's purchase decisions, with mianzi acting as a moderator.

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

“…Third, underpinned by social influence theory, this research reveals the moderating effects of perceived co‐viewer involvement on viewers gift‐giving behaviors. Although the existing literature begins to investigate the importance of co‐viewer influence in the live‐streaming gift‐giving situations (e.g., the co‐viewer competition for gift‐giving in live‐streaming, Hsieh et al, 2023), the moderating mechanism is still unclear in the entertainment live‐streaming. In response, our study proposed a positive moderating effect of perceived co‐viewer involvement on the dual‐mediation relationship between state boredom on gift‐giving via social identity and pleasure.…”

“…Streamers can convert the received gifts into real money at a cut-rate (typically 30%-50%; Sway, 2017a), which can be withdrawn to an external bank account. In this way, virtual gift-giving has evolved into a live-streaming business model (Hsieh et al, 2023).…”

“…In China, virtual gifting is a $5-$6 billion market, expected to reach $7-$8 billion by 2025 (Rana, 2023). Given the pervasiveness of gift-giving in entertainment live-streaming, it has evolved into a unique business model in the virtual online world (Hsieh et al, 2023), prompting comprehensive research to understand the motivations and mechanisms underlying such gift-giving.…”

Understanding the determinants of gifting and social sharing in live streaming: a dual-attachment perspective

“…Therefore, prior studies adopt the social identity theory and face-negotiation theory and suggest that viewers' identity-based motivation (Li et al. , 2021a) and mianzi (Hsieh et al. , 2023), are the key drivers of gifting behaviour.…”

“…Different from gifting on the physical world and social network sites, gifting on live streaming platforms is highly visible to others (Hou et al, 2020). Therefore, prior studies adopt the social identity theory and face-negotiation theory and suggest that viewers' identity-based motivation (Li et al, 2021a) and mianzi (Hsieh et al, 2023), are the key drivers of gifting behaviour. Another stream of extant studies focus on a relational perspective and indicates that viewers purchase and send virtual gifts to streamers only if they are attached to the streamers, i.e.…”