From viewers to loyal fans: The key to stickiness in live streaming tourism

Abstract

This study examines tourist behavior in online environments, particularly on live streaming platforms, indicating a rise in engagement associated with stickiness. Stickiness refers to the degree of user engagement in live streaming services, facilitated by the transfer of trust that takes place. This research develops a theoretical model grounded in a social systems approach and trust transfer to elucidate the impact of live streaming services on user stickiness. A total of 225 valid respondents were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that social factors, specifically interaction and identification, have a significant impact on trust in streamers, thereby improving user retention. Additionally, trust in the streamer was identified as a mediating factor in the relationship between interaction and identification concerning user retention. This study enhances the theoretical framework by combining socio-technical approaches with trust transfer in live streaming platforms. This research contributes to the development of tourism by offering insights into live streaming platforms that can integrate features to enhance engagement for both viewers and potential tourists. The study acknowledges several limitations and provides guidance for future research to further explore the significant role of socio-technical approaches in understanding user behavior, particularly regarding tourist stickiness.