Professionalism, Interaction, Price Discount, Social Bonds: The Influencing Factors of Gen-Z And Millennial Purchase Intentions on E-Commerce Live Streaming

Abstract

This study aims to identify the key determinants of purchase intentions among Generation Z and Millennials in live-streaming e-commerce and to examine the mediating role of consumer trust. This is based on live-streaming commerce has rapidly transformed online shopping behavior among digital-native consumers, yet limited evidence explains what drives their purchase intentions. Using a quantitative explanatory design, 312 respondents were selected through purposive sampling based on the following criteria: aged 18–42 years, active users of live-stream shopping in the past three months, and connected to the Batam or Tanjungpinang digital-commerce ecosystem. Variance-based SEM (VB-SEM) was used due to its predictive orientation and suitability for mediation analysis with non-normal data. The results show that professionalism does not significantly affect trust or purchase intentions, while interaction influences purchase intentions only through trust. Price discounts and social bonding have both direct and indirect positive effects. Trust emerges as a central mediator. The study contributes by showing the declining importance of seller professionalism and reinforcing the critical role of trust in real-time commerce.