AUTHOR=Pang Qiwei , Meng Haiyang , Fang Mingjie , Xing Jingjing , Yao Jinge TITLE=Social Distancing, Health Concerns, and Digitally Empowered Consumption Behavior Under COVID-19: A Study on Livestream Shopping Technology JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=9 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.748048 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.748048 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=

During the COVID-19 pandemic, livestream shopping has provided consumers with a way to maintain social distancing while offering an alternative to offline shopping. This study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 and other public health crises on the behavioral intentions of consumers using livestream shopping technology. A theoretical model was designed that combines the health belief model, trust theory, and the theory of planned behavior. Empirical data were collected from 358 residents in China and then analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived obstacles had a significant impact on consumer trust. Consumer trust in turn had a direct impact on behavioral intention and an indirect impact on behavioral intention via attitude. These research results have practical implications for livestream shopping merchants, platform decision-makers, and service designers.