The role of trust in streamers and live streaming commerce in predicting customer loyalty

In recent years live streaming commerce (LSC) has become increasingly prevalent, increasing the importance of understanding the key antecedents of customer loyalty in this new marketplace. To examine how trust in streamers and LSC can enhance customer loyalty, we developed a research model focusing on usefulness, entertainment, and ease of use as the main antecedents of trust, and conducted an online survey of 290 customers of Chinese LSC platforms. The results showed that trust in streamers and trust in LSC were significant positive predictors of customer loyalty, and attractiveness, expertise, and interactivity were significant antecedents to building trust in streamers. Furthermore, entertainment and ease of use were significantly related to trust in LSC, whereas usefulness was not. These findings provide new insight into effective strategies for increasing customer loyalty.