From rational depletion to impulsive decision: A multi-information source perspective in social livestreaming e-commerce

Abstract

As impulsive buying (IB) surges in social livestreaming e-commerce (SLE), existing studies have primarily examined its antecedents from the perspective of affective responses and typically simplify information sources to the streamer alone. This focus, however, overlooks the complex information environments within SLE and how these environments shape IB through cognitive mechanisms. To fill this gap, firstly, we identify four core types of information sources within SLE employing the Delphi method. We then construct and test the chained mediation model based on the Stimulus-Strain-Outcome (SSO) framework, leveraging a dataset of 769 survey responses and utilizing two complementary methods: Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Our findings demonstrate that multi-source stimuli in SLE can influence IB through the sequential mediating effects of perceived overload and decision fatigue, with consumer resilience moderating this relationship negatively. Additionally, the fsQCA results reveal multiple equifinal configurational paths, each comprising different combinations of information source stimuli. By elucidating a non-affective impulse pathway rooted in rational resource depletion, our study not only advances the understanding of IB mechanisms in SLE but also broadens the theoretical scope of the SSO framework and the role of decision fatigue.