Introduction

Over the past few years, livestream shopping has developed rapidly as the main approach to conveying product information globally (Ma 2023; Ni and Ueichi 2024; Tong et al. 2022). A growing number of users would like to watch livestreams on various social media platforms. With the support of the technology, multisensory stimulation is increasingly being adopted by retailers and brand managers so as to encourage consumers to purchase their products (Li et al. 2023). Livestream shopping provides an internet-based approach to communication and can be operated on mobile phones and computers (Johnson and Woodcock 2019). Livestream shopping can facilitate real-time interaction, but the background of the livestreaming as well as a perceived streamers’ physical attractiveness may also indirectly affect consumers’ emotions and their responses to the products that are promoted (Tong et al. 2022; Zhou et al. 2019). Amazon and Alibaba Group are currently the two largest e-commerce platforms in the world (Statista.com 2024). In livestream shopping, product features are recommended to consumers, who may, as a result, come to acquire a better understanding of the products.

People engage in live streaming via the internet (Lu et al. 2021). Live streaming also represents a social media platform for retailers to promote their products online. Livestream shopping is regarded as an important tool in marketing strategy (Luo et al. 2024; Ma 2021). Retailers tend to provide good shopping experiences and recommend qualified products for consumers via livestream (Ma 2024; Wei and Xi 2024). In 2021, the market for livestream shopping increased to 300 billion dollars in China alone (Douglas 2022). Livestream empowers retailers and managers who tend to promote their products and add it to marketing strategies, such as Amazon Live, TikTok live, T-Mall, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and Taobao. Consumers can join the session and get product information and advice via streamers and other peers (Chen et al. 2022). Livestream shopping increases real-time interaction between retailers and consumers (Park and Lin 2020). When consumers make a purchase, they tend to be influenced by their peers and the suggestions that they make (Cavusoglu and Atik 2021). Most consumers are attracted by recommended, up-to-date product information and spend their time on livestream shopping. Therefore, retailers face a problem concerning how to improve consumers’ cognitive reactions and purchase intention in livestream shopping.

Sustainable products are related to social and environmental development that preserves the environment and improves people’s lives (Agarwall et al. 2025). Circularity, organic materials, longevity, and eco-protection are the main features of the sustainable products, which contribute to both human development and environmental protection (Camilleri et al. 2023). The sharing, reusing, and recycling of materials is commonly adopted in the context of sustainable products so as to prolong the lifespan of materials (Elhoushy and Jang 2023). The United Nations has established the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to address these issues (United Nations 2024). Consumers, especially those in Generation Z, are increasingly sensitive to environmental problems and pollution reduction (Mammadli 2023). Many retailers have adopted different marketing strategies to encourage consumers’ purchase behaviour: Some retailers recommend product information via images or descriptions, while others adopt live video. To date, little is known concerning the effects of cognitive reactions and emotion on sustainable products in the context of livestream shopping. Additionally, a growing number of studies have focused on people’s buying intention and behaviour in relation to sustainable products (Baier et al. 2020; Kautish and Khare 2022; Li et al. 2023). Consumers’ purchase behaviour in relation to sustainable products has been assessed in terms of consumption values theory, the theory of planned behaviour, and the theory of reasoned action (Brandão and Costa 2021; Kamalanon et al. 2022; Taufique and Vaithianathan 2018; Yarimoglu and Binboga 2018). However, there have not been sufficient studies on consumers’ cognitive reactions, emotional responses toward, and behaviour in relation to sustainable products in the context of livestream shopping. In order to fill the gaps in the existing research, the present study was designed to explore the following research questions: (1) How do streamers and/or online retailers efficiently provide sustainable product information to consumers? (2) How can consumers’ cognitive reactions and emotion in response to sustainable products be enhanced so as to get people to buy while livestream shopping? To solve the above-mentioned problems, this study is arranged as follows: Section “Theoretical background and hypotheses development” presents the theoretical background and hypotheses developed, and the proposed model is presented. Section “Methodology” conducts the methodology, and the valid data of this study are examined. Section “Results” presents the results of this study. Section “Discussion and implications” explores the discussion and implications. Finally, the article concludes with some limitations and directions for future research.

The main contributions of the present study can be summarized as follows. First, a research model on sustainable clothing purchase intention in the context of livestream shopping is presented and the influential factors are explored by considering the theoretical foundation of cognitive reactions-emotion-behaviour theory and pleasure-arousal-dominance theory. Second, while the majority of previous studies focus on consumers’ purchase intention and behaviour (Chou et al. 2022; Zhang et al. 2024), there are few researchers who consider the mediating effects of arousal and pleasure in livestreaming. The influential factors affecting people’s consumption behavioural intention are analysed and a framework in which to consider sustainable clothing purchase intention in the context of livestream shopping is established.

Theoretical background and hypotheses development

Cognition-emotion-behaviour theory

In marketing theory, researchers state that the engagement of consumers is related to their cognition and affect (Vakratsas and Ambler 1999). Cognition refers to an individual’s cognitive processed which may influence their emotional responses (Zhao et al. 2023). Wu et al. (2024) developed the cognition-emotion-behaviour model to examine how stimuli affect consumer purchase intention in cause-related sports marketing. Social media engagement significantly affects consumers’ purchase intention on second-hand clothing (Sharma et al. 2024). Additionally, subjective well-being is composed by three dimensions of cognition, emotion, and behaviour (Nima et al. 2024). Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of cognition, emotion and behaviour is essential for studying sustainable products in live streaming shopping.

Pleasure-arousal-dominance theory

The pleasure-arousal-dominance theory is widely considered as an effective approach to explore the effects on individuals’ emotion (Mehrabian and Russell 1974). Arousal refers to an organism’s state of excitement, while pleasure refers to people’s feeling, such as happiness. According to the pleasure-arousal-dominance theory, an individual’s emotions can be stimulated by their surroundings and environments. Emotion also impacts consumers’ purchase behaviour in online shopping contexts (Agarwal et al. 2025). Yu et al. (2024) showed that perceived pleasure and arousal are related to a consumer’s emotional perceptions that influence their intention to purchase green products. Additionally, Alam et al. (2023) demonstrated that consumers’ emotional state can be represented in terms of their arousal and pleasure, with their findings indicating that pleasure positively affects impulsive consumption behaviours in live streaming.

Consumption behavioural intention

Sustainable consumption and purchase intention

Recent research has increasingly examined the intersection of sustainable consumption and live-streaming shopping, highlighting how live-streaming platforms can reshape sustainability-conscious consumer behaviour (Clement et al. 2020; Huo et al. 2024). Characterized by real-time engagement, visual impact, and storytelling, live-streaming shopping has emerged as a powerful tool for the promotion of sustainable apparel by increasing consumer trust and emotional connection (Lee et al. 2025). Livestream shopping amplifies sustainable apparel consumption by blending emotional engagement, real-time interaction, and shopping drives (Ho et al. 2022). When sustainability is demonstrated interactively, consumers are more likely to adopt sustainable products (Long et al. 2024). For example, eco-fashion brands such as Patagonia and Reformation use live streaming to explain the recycling process and foster consumer confidence in sustainable clothing (Khandual and Pradhan 2019). Wu and Huang (2023) found that more than half of viewers reported that after watching live streams featuring behind-the-scenes sustainable manufacturing processes, they tended to have a positive attitude toward sustainable products.

With the development of digital technology and marketing, people’s intention to purchase sustainable clothing has been studied in various research (Dai and Sheng 2022; Dobbelstein and Lochner 2023; Li et al. 2023b; Huang et al. 2024a; Wang 2024). The development of sustainable consumption and sustainable products have also been advocated by researchers, governments and businesses to help protect the environment and society (Syed et al. 2024). Purchase intention is a personal judgment that may predict a consumer’s subsequent purchase behaviour (Morwitz 2014). Purchase intention is an important factor in purchase behaviour (Li and Jaharuddin 2021). According to a report from Vogue Business (2022), more than half of Generation Z would prefer to buy products from those brands that support environmental protection and afford social responsibility.

Social sharing

The social sharing of consumer experiences has increased with the rise of online shopping (Pauw 2023). According to Nadeem et al. (2020), social sharing is where people share their experiences with groups or related individual (e.g., friends, family) so as to experience a social connection. People are inclined to share their experiences when they come across products and/or services that meet their needs (Pauw et al. 2022). Meanwhile, when consumers perceive positive information about sustainable products, they are more willing to share the information (Choi and Ahn 2023; Yang et al. 2024). Consumers tend to share products, images, articles, links, or product promotions (Choi and Toma 2014; Wang et al. 2022). When people see the shared content in online shopping, they may be attracted by the product information or services. Online retailers may also provide benefits to consumers who share their experiences in social media (Wang et al. 2022). Additionally, social sharing can be regarded as a recommendation approach in the context of online shopping, which is more effective than product advertisement by retailers (Liu et al. 2018; Zhao et al. 2019). Consumers’ willingness to share sustainable products on social media can influence the implementation of sustainable development by fashion brands (Yang et al. 2024). Consumers’ social activities (e.g., sharing) enhance their enjoyment and support their purchase intention (Kang and Park-Poaps 2011). The consumer’s purchasing decision often relies on the communication and sharing of information from friends, family members and other related persons (Bailey and Mimoun 2024).

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H1. In the context of livestream shopping, social sharing has a positive effect on purchase intention.

The intention to continue watching

The intention to continue watching content is related to viewers’ attention and preference for live streaming (Hou et al. 2020). Consumers tend to continue watching live streams so as to satisfy their needs and simply for its entertainment value (Hilvert-Bruce et al. 2018). Yang and Wang (2015) found that time spent on social media and the intention to continue watching positively predicted consumers’ sharing intention on online videos. Social sharing promotes consumers’ responses which may help support their well-being and construct some form of shared reality (Rimé et al. 2020). The engagement of YouTube and TikTok video viewers with sustainable clothing can help to promote sustainable product practices and services in different businesses (Haines et al. 2023). Hou et al. (2020) found that the intention to continue watching livestreaming content is affected by interactivity and value perception during the communication process. Furthermore, Liu et al. (2023) indicated that consumers experience positive emotions when watching an engaging live steam. When people would like to spend more time live streaming, their purchase intention typically increases (Sun et al. 2019). Once the consumer trusts a retailer, they tend to engage in sharing which increases their purchase intention (Gvili and Levy 2023). Moreover, the way in which consumers’ social sharing in the context of live streaming mediate the relationship between the intention to continue watching livestreaming and the intention to buy is ambiguous.

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H2a. In the context of livestream shopping, the intention to continue watching has a positive effect on social sharing.

H2b. In the context of livestream shopping, social sharing mediates the relationship between the intention to continue watching and purchase intention.

Emotion

Arousal

Some people find live online shopping both memorable and immersive (Gu et al. 2023; Sun et al. 2019). Consumers’ decisions and behaviour are influenced by their emotional arousal, which indicates that arousal may be one of the important factors affecting their buying intention (Yan et al. 2016). Arousal is affected by the surroundings (Mehrabian and Russell 1974). In the context of livestream shopping, arousal is regarded by researchers as an emotional reaction that consumers feel (Zhang et al. 2023). In the context of online livestream shopping, people get the information concerning products via videos, which may affect their emotion and contribute to their level of arousal (Sun et al. 2019). Previous studies consider arousal and pleasure as emotions (Tong et al. 2022; Varshneya and Das 2017). Arousal influences a consumer’s sustainable behaviour, their recycling intentions, and subsequent actions that depend on their experiences (Yan and Murray 2023). Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H3. In the context of livestream shopping, arousal has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching.

Pleasure

Live steaming has been adopted by online retailers so as to provide product information to consumers via the live video (Ford and Gross 2019). Positive emotion and responses can be stimulated in the context of live streaming (Sun et al. 2019). People also seek happiness through consumption (Maseeh et al. 2022). Streamers recommend sustainable products that create an emotional relationship between the consumers and the product that encourage the consumers to buy it (Long et al. 2024). When consumers engage in live events, they may find it both fun and pleasurable (Cuny et al. 2015). Asante et al. (2024) found that when people were involved in live streaming, they tended to be satisfied with the experience. When consumers were aroused and when they enjoyed online consumption, their purchase intentions increased (Eroglu et al. 2001). Liu et al. (2023) conducted a study on 486 participants with prior livestreaming shopping experience, and found that consumers’ intention to continue watching was influenced by their enjoyment of live-streaming.

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H4. In the context of livestream shopping, pleasure has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching.

Cognitive reactions

Vividness

In the context of livestream shopping, vividness refers to the sensorial environment in which the product recommendation occurs. Consumers’ emotion and attention can be affected by vividness (Nowlis et al. 2004). Researchers have found that streamers provide consumers with vivid information, helping them to reduce their uncertainty before making a purchase (Lu and Chen 2021). The vividness of shopping involves an individual’s thoughts and feelings (Liu et al. 2023). Vividness is mainly related to the recommended products presented by streamers (Liu et al. 2023). Specially, streamers’ explanations on sustainable products enhance consumers’ interests in sustainable products (Long et al. 2024). Usually, vividness refers to the sensorial environment and the products that are presented in the context of livestream shopping (Steuer 1993). Consumers’ emotions, attention, and imagination can all be influenced by the vividness of livestream shopping (Escalas 2004). The vividness of the products presented to consumers can lead to increased pleasure (Liu et al. 2023).

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H5a-b. In the context of livestream shopping, vividness has a positive effect on consumers’ arousal (H5a) and pleasure (H5b).

Attractiveness of live-streamers

The styles of live streaming have also influenced consumers’ perception and purchase intention (Meng et al. 2021; Chen and Yang 2023). In the context of livestreaming, the consumers’ intention and behaviour largely depend on streamers’ performance (Guan et al. 2022; Zheng et al. 2023). The attractiveness of the streamer (e.g., their physical characteristics, personality, intelligence, communicating ability, kindness) can positively affect consumers’ purchase behaviour (Torres et al. 2019; Zheng et al. 2023). Researchers also found that a streamer’s attractiveness contributes to the emotional relationship between consumers (Li et al. 2023a). Having an appealing visual appearance (e.g., clothing, makeup) has also been shown to impact purchase intention (Madina and Kim 2021). Consumers can experience emotional arousal that stimulated by the attractiveness of live-streamers (Xu et al. 2021).

Streamers in livestream shopping usually have their own unique appearance and style (Liu et al. 2023). Consumers are attracted by the dynamic information and virtual social activities, and can feel relaxed while livestreaming (Chen and Lin 2018; Sjöblom and Hamari 2017). The streamers’ environmental knowledge affect consumers’ green perceived value and purchase intention in live-streaming platforms (Wu et al. 2024). Most streamers have a pleasant appearance and strive to create a comfortable atmosphere, aiming to evoke people’s emotional engagement and drive product sales in livestream shopping (Meng et al. 2021). The attractiveness of the streamer may influence consumers’ shopping enjoyment (Huang et al. 2024b). People like to interact with attractive streamers who they find pleasant and this can motivate their purchase behaviour (Hu et al. 2017; Liu 2020; Wongkitrungrueng and Assarut 2020; Wongkitrungrueng et al. 2020).

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H6a-b. In the context of livestream shopping, attractiveness of live-streamers has a positive effect on consumers’ arousal (H6a) and pleasure (H6b).

Flow

Flow is the state that people realize that they devote themselves to activities (Chen and Lin 2018; Csikszentmihalhi 2020). The main characteristics of flow are psychological enjoyment and concentration (Ghani and Deshpande 1994). Furthermore, Pelet et al. (2017) stated that flow contains four dimensions, namely immersion, perceived control, alternation in time perception, and enjoyment. People would perceive stronger usefulness and tangibility on the immersion of the sustainable fashion consumption in the context of 3-dimensional virtual reality condition than 2-dimension condition (Won et al. 2024). Flow is also adopted to explore customers’ engagement in online shopping (Kim and Kim 2022). In the context of livestreaming, flow is regarded as a cognitive state in which consumers are absorbed and relaxed while immersed in watching a live streaming (Paraman et al. 2022). Ettis (2017) stated that the number and duration of visits to a webpage increased significantly after people had a flow state of mind. Flow is a sense of enjoyment and concentration, which consumers tend to buy when they enjoy themselves (Kim and Kim 2022). After analysing samples from 313 participants, Chen and Lin (2018) found that when young people got a sense of flow in live streaming, they tend to be happy and pleasure. Consumers may feel pleasure since they have a state of flow in livestream shopping (Zheng et al. 2023).

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H7a-b. In the context of livestream shopping, flow has a positive effect on consumers’ arousal (H7a) and pleasure (H7b).

Multisensory cues

In the context of livestreaming, multisensory cues include the various combinations of visual information, background music, video, verbal information, emojis, and any descriptive information (Ma 2021). Both verbal and visual information are mainly adopted to introduce products in the context of livestream shopping (Ma 2024): Verbal information tends to be the main approach used to convey product information to consumers (Wongkitrungrueng and Assarut 2020). Background music during online shopping can stimulate consumers’ purchase intention as well as capturing their attention (Iwanaga and Ito, 2002; Li et al. 2022a; Li et al. 2022b). Wright (2002) stated that video communication is an effective approach to convey product information and provide emotional support to consumers. Additionally, multisensory perception positively affects consumers’ positive emotions and engagement in social media (Han et al. 2024; Li et al. 2020; Mardhatilah et al. 2023). For example, visual information and the perceived intelligence of voice assistants positively affect consumers attitude to sustainable clothing and purchase behaviour (Li et al. 2023). While livestream shopping, consumers can communicate with streamers and other online individuals via written message, emojis, and voice information (Li et al. 2022b; Ma 2024). In this process, multisensory cues may affect consumers’ emotional arousal and pleasure.

Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed,

H8a-b. In the context of livestream shopping, multisensory cues have a positive effect on consumers’ arousal (H8a) and pleasure (H8b).

Stickiness

Stickiness refers to the extent to which social commerce platforms can retain their customers (Hsu and Lin 2016). High stickiness indicates the long time spent on the platform and consumers’ continuous use of the media (Hus and Liao 2014). In the context of livestream shopping, stickiness is considered as a key predictor of consumers’ behaviour and buying intentions (Lin et al. 2019). When consumers spend more time on the platforms or revisit them, they show high stickiness (Hsu and Liao 2014). Some researchers have reported that stickiness has a close relationship with consumers’ online shopping experiences as well as their purchase behaviour (Ma 2023). According to Yan et al. (2020), stickiness means that users are more likely to continue using the platform and also to recommend it to others.

Vividness can provide realistic experiences to consumers and facilitate them to assess the product effectively in livestream shopping (Liu et al. 2023). Supported by artificial neural network and structural equation modelling, Wang et al. (2024) found that attractiveness of the streamers can predicts consumers’ stickiness to live streaming in an e-commerce setting. Flow experience impact consumers engagement and increase their stickiness on short video platforms (Jia et al. 2024). Multisensory cues of livestream shopping contribute to consumers’ assessment of the products and stickiness that they may spend a long time in the live streaming (Ma 2023). Consumers’ stickiness is considered as an indicator of purchase behaviour in the context of livestream shopping (Qu et al. 2023). In livestream shopping, consumer stickiness is an important factor that can keep consumers watching and thereby enhance their purchase intention (Shen et al. 2022b). To the best of our knowledge, very few studies have focused on the effect of stickiness to sustainable clothing in online live streaming shopping. There is still a research gap on the mediating effect of stickiness on consumers’ cognition and purchasing intentions.

Thus, the hypothesis is proposed as follows,

H9a-d. In the context of livestream shopping, stickiness mediates the relationship between cognitive reactions (vividness-H9a, attractiveness-H9b, flow-H9c, multisensory cues-H9d) and purchase intention.

Social presence

Social presence is a motivation that is affected by multiple cues (Tseng et al. 2019). Kim et al. (2020) found that the sense of social presence may connect with the interaction with other users in online platform. Social presence is related to individual’s awareness of the relationship with others, especially in the communicating process. Even consumers’ purchase intention is affected by social presence in online shopping (Lu et al. 2016). In the context of livestream shopping, consumers’ social presence is developed by the interaction with streamers, visual information, and communication with other viewers (Sun et al. 2019). Additionally, social presence reduces consumers’ uncertainty and hesitation during their online shopping (Wongkitrungrueng and Assarut 2020). Social presence positively affects consumers purchase intention to sustainable products (Frensel et al. 2025). Moreover, consumers’ sense of belonging is also increased while livestreaming (Sun et al. 2019). Previous findings show that social presence is the main indicator of the intention to continue watching and of purchase intention on the livestreaming platform (Hou et al. 2020; Zheng et al. 2023).

Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed,

H10. In the context of livestream shopping, social presence has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching.

On the basis of cognition-emotion-behaviour theory and pleasure-arousal-dominance theory, the conceptual model is proposed on the basis of that cognitive reactions (vividness, attractiveness, flow, multisensory cues) might influence arousal and pleasure in sustainable clothing livestream shopping (see Fig. 1). Meanwhile, it is proposed that stickiness will mediate the relationship between cognitive reactions and purchase intention. The effects of emotion (arousal, pleasure) may influence consumers’ intention to continue watching in the context of livestream shopping.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Proposed conceptual model.

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Methodology

Data collection

Participants were recruited via the online surveying tools of Wenjuanxing (https://www.sojump.com), a questionnaire platform. The platform has similar functionality to SurveyMonkey. The data collection process was as follows. First, the definition and the four sustainable products were presented to the participants. Second, the participants were asked to fill out the questionnaires on the platform. Third, the demographic information was collected in the last section of the questionnaires. Fourth, they were entered into a lucky draw after they finished the online questionnaires. 2358 valid samples were collected and thereafter analysed. The participants were composed of men (n = 1207, 51.2%) and women (n = 1151, 48.8%). The majority of the participants completed higher education (e.g., bachelor’s degree, n = 1169, 49.6%). The participants’ demographic information is presented in Table 1.

Table 1 Demographic characteristics of participants.
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Measurement of construct

The questionnaire was composed of eleven constructs, measured with forty-four items. All questionnaires were adopted from previous studies. The five items of vividness were adopted from Barhorst et al. (2021). The four items related to the attractiveness of live-streamers were adopted from Torres et al. (2019). The four items concerning flow were revised from Chen and Lin (2018). The three items related to multisensory cues were revised from Tseng et al. (2019). The three items concerning arousal were adopted from Meng et al. (2021). The four items related to pleasure were revised from Holmqvist and Lunardo (2015). The six social presence items were revised from Ni and Ueichi (2024). The three items concerning social sharing were adopted from Bock et al. (2005) and Maxham (2001). The five items concerning stickiness were revised from Li et al. (2021). The intention to continue watching was measured by three items taken from a study by Hu et al. (2017). Purchase intention was assessed using four items modified from Aghekyan-Simonian et al. (2012), and Ko and Jin (2017). The questionnaires were translated into Mandarin Chinese by a professional English-Chinese translator to ensure their accuracy. The items were rated using a 5-point Likert scale (from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”).

Analysis

The valid data were analysed by SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 in the following steps. First, the values of factor loadings and Cronbach’s alpha were analysed. The threshold value of factor loadings and Cronbach’s alpha were higher than 0.70, respectively (Chin 1998; Hair et al. 2010; Nunnally and Larcker 1994). Second, reliability and validity were analysed, which were supported by the value of Average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO). The thresholds value of the AVE, CR, and KMO were above 0.50, 0.70, and 0.70, respectively (Fornell and Larcker 1981; Nunnally and Larcker 1994). Third, the correlation was analysed via the root of the AVE of constructs, which should be higher than the correlation of the constructs (Chin 1998). Fourth, the mediating effect was tested, and the valid confidence intervals did not overlap zero (Charlton et al. 2021).

Results

Reliability and validity

Hulland (1999) suggest that weak factor loading (below 0.70) can be adopted in social science research, including the new scale development. The threshold value of factor loading was recommended above 0.7 (Chin 1998). In this study, the factor loading of all items was above 0.70. Thus, the value of factor loading can be accepted (see Table 2). The findings of the model had a good reliability and discriminant validity (see Tables 2 and 3).

Table 2 Reliability and validity analysis.
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Table 3 Discrimination validity test.
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Structural model

The model fit was tested by AMOS 24.0. The model had a good fit (X2/df = 2.831, GFI = 0.954, AGFI = 0.948, CFI = 0.967, IFI = 0.967, NFI = 0.950, RMSEA = 0.028). The results of the model test with significant path coefficients are shown in Fig. 2. The direct and mediating effects are presented in the sections that follow.

Fig. 2
figure 2

Structural model results (***p < 0.001).

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Direct effects

The relationship between the variables are significant (p < 0.001). Social sharing positively influences purchase intention (β = 0.265, p < 0.001). The intention to continue watching positively influences social sharing (β = 0.387, p < 0.001). Thus, H1 and H2a are both supported (see Table 4).

Table 4 Hypotheses testing (direct effects).
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Arousal has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching (β = 0.235, p < 0.001). Pleasure has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching (β = 0.190, p < 0.001). Social presence has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching (β = 0.171, p < 0.001). Thus, H3, H4, and H10 are all supported.

In livestream shopping, vividness has a positive influence on arousal (β = 0.183, p < 0.001) and pleasure (β = 0.196, p < 0.001). Attractiveness of live-streamers has a significant positive impact on arousal (β = 0.197, p < 0.001) and pleasure (β = 0.224, p < 0.001). The results also show that flow has a positive impact on arousal (β = 0.154, p < 0.001) and pleasure (β = 0.287, p < 0.001). Multisensory cues have a positive influence on arousal (β = 0.171, p < 0.001) and pleasure (β = 0.122, p < 0.001). Thus, H5a, H5b, H6a, H6b, H7a, H7b, H8a, and H8b are supported (see Table 4). The result of the structural model is presented in Fig. 2.

Mediating effects

The bootstrap was operated to test the path coefficients by Model 4 of the PROCESS program of SPSS 26.0. The results are operated by using 1,000 bootstrap samples with the 95% confidence interval variance in the purchase intention to sustainable clothing in livestream shopping. The findings of this study indicate that social sharing mediates the relationship between the intention to continue watching and purchase intention (β = 0.004, p < 0.001, CI = [0.002, 0.006]), thus, H2b is supported (see Table 5).

Table 5 Path coefficients and confidence interval.
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In the context of livestream shopping, stickiness mediated the relationship between vividness and purchase intention (β = 0.069, p < 0.001, CI = [0.052, 0.088]). Stickiness also mediated the relationship between attractiveness of live-streamers and purchase intention (β = 0.070, p < 0.001, CI = [0.053, 0.088]), between flow and purchase intention (β = 0.073, p < 0.001, CI = [0.056, 0.092]), and between multisensory cues and purchase intention (β = 0.049, p < 0.001, CI = [0.032, 0.067]), thus, H9a, H9b, H9c, and H9d are supported. The path coefficients are shown in Table 5.

Discussion and implications

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between variables in the context of livestream shopping. Based on the cognitive reactions-emotion-behaviour theory, relevant factors that are associated with cognitive reactions (i.e., vividness, attractiveness, flow, multisensory cues) and emotion response (i.e., arousal, pleasure) were identified. The variables and their effects on behavioural intention (i.e., the intention to continue watching, social sharing, and purchase intention) were also examined. Data were collected to support the conceptual framework. Stickiness had a mediating effect between cognitive reactions and sustainable clothing purchase intention. The intention to continue watching in the context of livestreaming was affected by arousal, pleasure, and social presence. Purchase intention was significantly affected by social sharing when people buy sustainable clothing in the context of livestream shopping.

Theoretical contribution

The current study has several theoretical contributions in the field of livestream shopping and sustainable clothing purchase behaviour. First, it contributes to the literature on livestream shopping in that it extends the research model to cognition, emotion and behaviour. This study reveals consumers’ emotion and behaviour responses in the sustainable products livestream shopping process, with the stimuli from live streamers and the process of livestream shopping. The variable of vividness, attractiveness, flow, and multisensory cues are adopted in this study to explore their effects on consumers purchase behaviour, that is integrated the previous theoretical findings and cognition-emotion-behaviour theory.

Second, the findings support the existing research on arousal and pleasure. Although pleasure-arousal-dominance theory has been adopted in the measurement of online shopping, there is no sufficient study on the effect of arousal and pleasure in livestream shopping. Additionally, the mediate effect of arousal and pleasure in livestream shopping is still lacking. The current research provides evidence with which to explore the effects of cognitive reactions on sustainable clothing consumption behavioural intention. According to the findings reported here, arousal and pleasure would appear to enhance consumers’ consumption behavioural intention, which contributes to the related studies on sustainable products and livestream shopping.

Third, this current research extends the findings in livestream shopping regarding the role of sustainable products. While much of the previous research on consumer behaviour in the context of livestream shopping has explored consumers purchase intentions, our research fills some of the gaps and demonstrates the mediate effect of emotion and stickiness between cognitive reactions and behaviour. Overall, the research conceptual model proposes the further understanding of the effects of cognition and emotion contributing to sustainable development, livestream shopping and literatures in sustainable consumption.

Practical contribution

First, social sharing had a positive effect on purchase intention, which is consistent with previous findings in the literature (Hajli 2020; Tajvidi et al. 2020). Social sharing is also affected by the intention to continue watching, consistent with previous findings in the literature (Wang et al. 2020). Additionally, it has been suggested that social sharing mediates the relationship between the intention to continue watching and purchase intention that can motivate consumers to purchase the products (Kim et al. 2015). As hypothesized, consumers’ willingness to pay is influenced by social sharing while livestream shopping. This finding indicates that consumers are involved in social sharing when recommending or sharing sustainable clothing information with others. When people perceive that the experience of buying sustainable clothing meets their requirements, they tend to share their experiences with friends, relatives, and/or strangers online. Thus, the managers and retailers of sustainable clothing companies and/or brands should focus on encouraging consumers to engage in social sharing rather than merely recommending product information from streamers. This could be affected by streamers who provide knowledge regarding sustainability, green information, eco-friendly stories, and/or share rewards in the context of livestream shopping for sustainable clothing.

Second, the results of the present study also demonstrate that both arousal and pleasure exert positive effects on the intention to continue watching livestreaming related to sustainable clothing, consistent with the findings from previous research (Wu et al. 2020; Yan et al. 2016). Specifically, positive emotions and/or feelings of pleasure can change an individual’s attitude and behaviour (Kim and Kim 2020; Shen et al. 2022a). This can be attributed to the fact that when consumers experience pleasure while livestream shopping, they tend to spend more time doing it. This finding confirms that managers and retailers in sustainable fashion companies and streamers should pay attention to enhancing consumers’ positive emotions during livestream shopping. For example, congruent background music should be considered with the product information by online retailers and/or streamers. Meanwhile, streamers should broadcast sustainable product information in a friendly manner. This is because if consumers have a positive reaction to livestreaming, they are more likely to keep watching it and hence tend to buy sustainable clothing.

Third, the results of the present study indicate that vividness has a positive effect on consumers’ arousal and pleasure, consistent with the findings from Nisbett and Ross (1980) that the vividness of live video evokes viewers’ emotions and enhances their involvement (Li et al. 2001; Liu et al. 2023). The findings also indicate that emotion mediates the relationship between vividness and the intention to continue watching. Detailed information about sustainability which is related to cognitive reactions should be provided to consumers in the context of livestream shopping in order to stimulate their purchase behaviour. In this way, fashion companies may be able to present clear and detailed livestreaming about sustainable clothing, which can in turn trigger consumers’ positive emotions and thus promote their purchase intentions. If consumers are unable to get sufficient green information nor information that is well-defined enough, they may not enjoy the shopping process or else switch to another livestreaming retailer. Thus, detailed and clear information about sustainable clothing should be provided to consumers by brand managers, retailers and streamers in the context of livestream shopping.

Fourth, our results show that the attractiveness of live-streamers has a positive impact on consumers’ arousal and pleasure, consistent with previous findings (Guo et al. 2022; Kim and Kim 2022; Li et al. 2023a). This indicates that the viewer's reactions to the attractiveness, professionalism, and passion of live-streamers have significant relationships with positive emotion on sustainable clothing consumption. According to Ozkara et al. (2017), popular streamers should be engaging in order to capture consumers’ attention thus motivating them to buy. The current study was conducted in China, but the findings reported here may nevertheless offer suggestions to retailers and streamers in other countries where livestreaming is currently less developed.

Concerning the relationship between the attractiveness of live-streamers and consumer emotions it is appropriate to provide suggestions to online retailers to improve the knowledgeability and articulateness of the streamers. This finding also indicates that the streamers should be encouraged to adopt effective tools and enhance their communication skills in order to provide highly qualified information about sustainable clothing to consumers. Streamers might be suggested to learn about sustainability issues in their spare time so as to enrich themselves, solve consumer’s problems, and thus increase interactivities in the process of livestreaming shopping. They also need to get new information about sustainability and broadcast them efficiently.

Fifth, the present results highlight how flow has a positive impact on consumers’ arousal and pleasure, consistent with previous findings in the literature (Kim and Kim 2022). This finding may be attributed to the fact that when consumers spend more time immersed in livestream shopping, they may find information about sustainable clothing more interesting, engaging, and enjoyable. Perceived flow can attract people to escape from the real world, improve interactions, and relax themselves in the livestreaming experience (Paraman et al. 2022). It is evident that if consumers perceive the state of flow while shopping for sustainable clothing, they are likely to be enjoying themselves and that will likely affect their decision-making. This is mainly because consumers are stimulated by livestreaming and are thus simply not aware of the passage of time. Thus, streamers, online retailers and platform operators should try to create a good and interactive livestreaming experience to maintain the sense of flow and thus increase the positive responses of consumers.

Sixth, the present results show that multisensory cues increased consumers’ arousal and pleasure in the context of livestream shopping, consistent with previous findings in the literature (Li et al. 2020; Meng et al. 2021; Wright 2002). When consumers express their ideas and questions via verbal and voice messages, their positive emotions can be evoked by perceived visual and sensory stimulation in the livestream (Koo and Lee 2011). Sustainable clothing information should be recommended to consumers via icons, verbal and video efficiently (Ma 2021). In this regard, fashion brands managers and retailers can focus on the visual and audio cues associated with sustainable clothing while livestream shopping so as to enhance their consumers’ emotion (e.g., arousal, pleasure). Sustainable clothing information, which is supported by the different visual and audio stimuli, can be broadcast via short-playing video. Streamers can try on sustainable clothing to show the characteristics of fabric and multiple functions of the products. Thus, novel multisensory cues should be provided in livestream shopping to enrich the consumers’ multisensory experiences.

Seventh, the findings demonstrated that stickiness mediated the relationship between cognitive reactions (vividness, attractiveness, flow, and multisensory cues) and purchase intention, consistent with previous findings (Lin et al. 2010, 2019; Ma 2023). When consumers stay on the livestream platform for a long time, they are more likely to buy the products shown. For example, online activities can be organized by streamers so as to enhance consumer engagement and the stickiness of the experience. Streamers can also provide information concerning sustainable clothing through sensory cues (e.g., emojis, tempo of background music, etc.) to enrich the livestreaming experience of consumers. Clothing information (e.g., water use, emissions, and recyclability) can be presented to consumers by means of a creative icon, which may attract them to learn more about sustainability issues. Thus, it is important for online retailers to keep their consumers engaged in sustainable clothing online shopping by encouraging them to spend more time livestreaming.

Eighth, the results reported here also confirm that social presence has a positive effect on consumers’ intention to continue watching, in line with previous findings (Hou et al. 2019; Sun et al. 2019; Zheng et al. 2023). With the popularity of the social media and livestream shopping, people have a strong social connection in terms of their interpersonal relationships, which contributes to consumer behaviour intentions (Jin et al. 2017; Xu et al. 2021). Company managers should therefore focus on improving consumers’ connections with others during livestream shopping. When consumers find sustainable clothing information, their questions should be addressed efficiently, so as to reduce consumers’ perceived risk and hesitation. More specifically, when consumers feel close to the streamer, they will start to feel comfortable and so want to stay on the livestreaming platform. Thus, sustainable clothing retailers and streamers may decrease consumers’ feeling of alone and provide platforms for people to communicate with strangers in a good way.

Limitations and future research

There are some limitations associated with the present research that may provide suggestions for future research. First, there are many stimuli that can affect consumers’ emotions and consumption behavioural intention, such as visual aesthetics, olfactory cues (Zhang and Spence 2023), touch (Spence and Gallace 2011), and taste. Future research should therefore focus on the relationship between multisensory perception and decision-making based on sustainable products and livestream shopping. In addition, given the popularity of virtual reality (VR) technology and mobile tools, future research could consider the effects of interaction in livestream and its application to VR tools. Finally, when consumers are attracted by livestream shopping and to buying products online, there might be a kind of impulsive purchase behaviour. Future research could explore the relationship between return/exchange of the products and impulsive purchase behaviour so as to lower risk and reduce behavioural regret.