Deciphering the persuasive power of information overload in live commerce: A tactics approach to consumer decision-making

In the context of the growing prevalence of live commerce, live sellers face an increasing challenge in convincing consumers to form purchase intentions and move closer to completing their purchases, prompting them to develop innovative marketing tactics. Information overload is considered a potential method to encourage consumer purchase intentions as a viable marketing approach. This study aims to explore the impact of information overload on the cognitive processes of consumers in live commerce. We identified five key factors believed to affect consumer decisions in live commerce, distinguishing between core and peripheral cues. Information overload was measured with a four-item 5-point Likert scale and modeled as a latent moderator, and we subsequently empirically examined its moderating role. Through a survey of 475 active live commerce consumers and a meticulous analysis of the dataset using the PLS-SEM method, we validated the impact of information overload. The research results indicate that information overload enhances the influence of streamers on consumers' perception of products, but weakens the predictive accuracy of consumers' assessment of product quality and fit. Additionally, the study further reveals that as information overload increases, consumers are more likely to rely on peripheral cues related to the streamer rather than deeply evaluating the core attributes of the product, thereby shaping their purchase intentions. This research establishes a theoretical foundation for marketing tactics in live commerce and provides practical insights for real-time commerce marketing.