Understanding the role of influencers on live streaming platforms: when tipping makes the difference
ISSN: 0309-0566
Article publication date: 8 August 2022
Issue publication date: 28 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine if the participation of live-stream influencers (LSIs) affects tipping frequency on live streaming platforms, and further investigate the mediating and moderating mechanisms.
Design/methodology/approach
Quasi-experiment and difference-in-differences models are used for data analysis. Propensity score matching is used to address potential unobservable endogeneity.
Findings
Real-time live streaming data reveal that LSIs’ participation significantly improves tipping frequency in live streaming rooms. Also, more users are attracted to the live streaming rooms and more users become active in participation. Additionally, the positive impact of LSIs’ participation is enhanced in the live streaming rooms with a greater number of relationship links between users.
Research limitations/implications
The findings clarify the new role of influencers and reveal the mechanisms on how LSIs benefit the platforms.
Practical implications
The findings offer novel insights into implementing influencer marketing to interactive social media platforms, by encouraging influencer participation, user relationship building and influencer network growth.
Originality/value
This study highlights the value of LSIs for interactive social media platforms in terms of organic growth, revenue generation and cost reduction.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
All the authors share the first authorship of this paper.
Liying Zhou acknowledges the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 71902126), and Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Projects (Grant [2019]5103). Fei Jin acknowledges the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 72002143), the Youth Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education of China (Grant 20YJC630053), Sichuan University (Grant 2022ZY-SX007), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant skbsh2020-21). Zhi Chen acknowledges the support by the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project (Grant 2019EGL020), and the Soft Science Research Project of Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan (Grant 22692197800).
Funding information: Banggang Wu acknowledges the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 71902148), System Science and Enterprise Development Research Center (Xq22B02, Xq21C04), Sichuan University (Grant 2020CXQ23), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant skbsh2020-25, 2022ZY-SX009).
Citation
Zhou, L., Jin, F., Wu, B., Wang, X., Lynette Wang, V. and Chen, Z. (2022), "Understanding the role of influencers on live streaming platforms: when tipping makes the difference", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 56 No. 10, pp. 2677-2697. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-10-2021-0815
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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