Examining the Effect of Live Streaming Interaction on Purchase Intention in Garut Regency: Social Presence as a Mediator

Abstract

This study explores the effect of live streaming on consumers’ purchase intention, with social presence serving as a mediating variable. In today’s digital era, live streaming has become one of the most popular marketing strategies across various e-commerce platforms. Social presence, defined as the degree of perceived social interaction and presence experienced by users during live streaming, is believed to play an important role in enhancing consumers’ purchase intention. However, despite the increasing adoption of live streaming, limited studies have specifically examined the relationship between live streaming, social presence, and purchase intention. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating how live streaming influences purchase intention and examining the mediating role of social presence in this relationship. A quantitative research method with a survey approach was employed to collect data from e-commerce platform users who frequently participate in live streaming activities. The sample was selected using purposive sampling, and the data were analyzed using regression analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that live streaming has a significant effect on purchase intention, and social presence plays a significant mediating role in this relationship. The study concludes that e-commerce companies can enhance consumers’ purchase intention by strengthening social presence elements in their live streaming activities. Practical implications include the importance of training live streaming hosts to create more personalized and engaging interactions, as well as utilizing technological features that enhance users’ sense of social presence during live broadcasts. This study contributes to the digital marketing literature and provides practical guidance for companies seeking to maximize the effectiveness of live streaming as a marketing strategy.