The Impact of E-Commerce Livestreaming Characteristics on Consumer Engagement and Actual Purchasing Behavior Among Gen Z Consumers in Saudi Arabia

Hassan Abdullah (School of Business Administration, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China)
Dinara Bostanova (School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China)

Journal of Digital Marketing and Communication
Volume 6 - Issue 2 - 2026

The rapid growth of livestreaming ecommerce transformed online retail by providing consumers with interactive and immersive shopping experiences. Despite the increasing adoption of livestreaming commerce in Saudi Arabia, limited research had examined how specific livestreaming characteristics shaped the purchasing behavior of Generation Z consumers. This study aimed to examine the effects of influencer authenticity and credibility, interactivity, and entertainment value on Generation Z consumers’ engagement and purchasing behavior. It also investigated the mediating role of consumer engagement and the moderating role of perceived product involvement based on the Stimulus Organism Response framework. Data were collected from 260 Generation Z consumers in Saudi Arabia using a structured survey. The relationships among livestreaming characteristics, consumer engagement, purchasing behavior, and perceived product involvement were analyzed to test the proposed direct, mediating, and moderating effects. The findings showed that influencer authenticity and credibility, interactivity, and entertainment value significantly enhanced consumer engagement. Influencer authenticity and credibility and interactivity had significant direct effects on purchasing behavior, whereas entertainment value had no significant direct effect. Consumer engagement significantly predicted purchasing behavior and mediated the relationship between interactivity and purchasing behavior. Perceived product involvement also positively moderated the relationship between consumer engagement and purchasing behavior, indicating that the effect of engagement on purchasing behavior was stronger for products with high levels of involvement. The findings demonstrated that consumer engagement represented an important psychological mechanism linking livestreaming characteristics with purchasing behavior and highlighted perceived product involvement as an important boundary condition in explaining Generation Z consumers’ responses to livestreaming commerce. The study provided context specific insights into the developing livestreaming commerce market in Saudi Arabia and offered practical implications for influencers, livestreaming platforms, and online retailers. Future research should examine additional psychological and contextual factors influencing livestreaming purchasing behavior and validate the proposed relationships across different age groups, product categories, cultural settings, and ecommerce markets.