You must buy it: an interaction effect of assertive language and interactivity in live-streaming commerce

Purpose Live-streaming commerce has rapidly emerged as an important form of e-commerce. One of its most distinctive and critical features is streamer-viewer interactivity. However, how the key construct of perceived interactivity interacts with other cues in live-streaming commerce to influence consumer responses remains largely unexplored. One particularly prevalent linguistic cue used by live-streamers is assertive language. This study investigates whether and when perceived interactivity shapes consumer reactions to assertive language in live-streaming commerce. Design/methodology/approach The authors test the hypotheses across five studies. Studies 1–3 employed a 2 (language style: assertive vs non-assertive) × continuous (perceived interactivity) between-subjects design. Study 4 employed a 2 (language style: assertive vs non-assertive) × 2 (interactivity: high vs low) between-subjects design. Web Study 1 examined a theory-driven boundary condition of this interaction effect – time pressure. Findings This research uncovers a robust interaction effect of assertive language and perceived streamer-viewer interactivity in live-streaming commerce. Specifically, when consumers perceive lower (vs higher) interactivity, live-streamers’ assertive language enhances trust toward the product and downstream consumer responses. Trust toward the product mediates this effect on downstream responses. Originality/value This study identifies an interaction pattern between assertive language and perceived interactivity, extending research on streamer-viewer interactivity, assertive language, and consumer trust in live-streaming commerce. Based on the findings, this research provides implications for live-streamers on how to adapt their use of assertive language to different levels of streamer-viewer interactivity.