THE INFLUENCE OF E-COMMERCE LIVE ANCHOR CHARACTERISTICS ON CONSUMERS' BUYING BEHAVIOR: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED TRUST AND PERCEIVED VALUE
Webcast Buying is a new form of consumption developed in the context of e-commerce by overcoming the time
and space constraints of traditional shopping, thus providing consumers with a unique visual and perceptual
experience. With the popularization of mobile terminals and the development of new Internet technologies,
webcast shopping has stepped into an explosive growth stage. Compared with past graphic video displays of
online stores, webcast shopping can provide a more realistic, real-time, vivid context, immersing the viewer in
the shopping scene. By introducing product information to viewers in real-time, sharing relevant experiences,
answering questions, and interacting with them in various ways, live shopping anchors can enhance consumers'
experience and desire to buy. However, as the demographic dividend fades and competition in the live shopping
industry intensifies, it is essential to understand how the characteristics of live shopping affect the behavior and
psychology of the viewing public to maintain the competitiveness of live shopping. Current research in e
commerce live broadcasting mainly focuses on developing the industry and mode, comparing platform attributes,
and discussing marketing strategies. At the same time, there are still fewer analytical studies combining consumer
behavior with it. Considering that the characteristics of the anchor in the e-commerce live broadcasting
environment are closely related to the occurrence of consumer attitudes and purchasing decisions, the study of the
influence of the characteristics of e-commerce anchors on the consumers' behavioral intentions is of interest. This
study focuses on consumers' buying intention in e-commerce live broadcasting. It explores the influence of
individual characteristics of anchors on consumers' buying intention in e-commerce live broadcasting by
combining the perceived value theory and the SOR model. This study takes anchor characteristics, perceived trust,
perceived value, and consumer buying behavior as entry points to explore their influence on consumer buying
behavior. Based on ABC, SOR, and trust theories, this study constructs a comprehensive model and analyzes the
intrinsic relationship and mechanism between these factors. In terms of research methodology, this study adopts
a mixed-methods design to conduct an online questionnaire survey with a research sample of 361 consumers who
shopped through e-commerce live streaming in Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, and analyzed it using PLS-SEM—
meanwhile, semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 consumers for qualitative analysis. The interview texts
were analyzed comprehensively and objectively through the quantitative analysis of the questionnaire data to
explain the relationship between anchor characteristics, perceived trust, perceived value, and consumer purchasing
behavior. It found that anchor characteristics, perceived trust, and perceived value significantly influence
consumer purchase behavior. In addition, anchor characteristics are a vital factor influencing perceived trust and
value. Perceived trust and perceived value mediate between anchor characteristics and consumer purchase
behavior, indicating that providing anchor characteristics significantly affects perceived trust, perceived value,
and consumers' willingness to purchase behavior. This study enriches the theoretical system of factors influencing
consumer purchase behavior. It provides essential theoretical support and practical guidance for the e-commerce
industry to strengthen the provision of anchor characteristics, enhance perceived trust and perceived value, and
guide consumers to form positive purchase behavior. In contrast, this study provides a scientific basis for
improving the development policy of the e-commerce live broadcast industry.