The study comes at a time when live-stream commerce is rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia. Platforms such as TikTok Live have transformed online shopping by allowing real-time interaction between sellers and consumers. Through live demonstrations, direct questions, and instant feedback, consumers can evaluate products in ways that traditional e-commerce often cannot provide.
For beauty brands, this model carries particular importance. Consumers are not simply buying skincare or cosmetic products; they are purchasing confidence, credibility, and perceived safety. Glad2Glow, a beauty brand active on TikTok Live, became the focus of this study because it attracted large audiences but did not always convert those viewers into loyal customers.
This gap between exposure and loyalty prompted researchers to investigate a critical question: what truly keeps customers returning in live-stream commerce?
Rahmawida and Rose Rahmidani approached the issue using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, a widely used model in consumer psychology. The framework explains how environmental stimuli influence internal psychological conditions before leading to behavioral responses.
In this research, platform interactivity, physical attractiveness of the host, and customer engagement served as external stimuli. Trust was positioned as the key internal psychological mechanism, while e-loyalty—defined as repeated purchases and sustained commitment to a digital platform or brand—became the behavioral outcome.
The study involved 145 Glad2Glow customers in Padang City who had purchased products through TikTok Live at least twice during the previous six months. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling and represented multiple districts across the city. Researchers collected primary data through structured questionnaires and analyzed the findings using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS).
The findings revealed a clear pattern.
Platform interactivity and customer engagement significantly increased customer trust. Trust, in turn, had a strong influence on digital loyalty. Surprisingly, the physical attractiveness of livestream hosts did not significantly affect either trust or customer loyalty.
Key findings from the study include:
- Platform interactivity significantly strengthens customer trust.
- Customer engagement also increases trust.
- Trust directly influences e-loyalty.
- Physical attractiveness does not significantly influence trust or loyalty.
- Trust mediates the relationship between platform interactivity and loyalty, as well as between customer engagement and loyalty.
These findings challenge common assumptions in digital marketing, where attractive hosts and visually appealing presentations are often considered central to successful livestream sales.
Instead, the study suggests that modern consumers—particularly beauty product buyers—prioritize communication quality and information transparency over appearance alone.
According to Rahmawida and Rose Rahmidani from Universitas Negeri Padang, TikTok Live creates opportunities for trust formation through real-time communication. Features such as live product demonstrations, instant responses, and two-way interaction reduce uncertainty and information gaps often associated with online shopping.
This process becomes particularly important for skincare and beauty products, which consumers generally perceive as high-risk purchases requiring greater reassurance before buying.
The research also identifies the role of local culture in shaping consumer behavior. Customers in Padang, influenced by Minangkabau social values, tend to adopt cautious and rational purchasing patterns. Rather than relying on visual impressions, they emphasize evidence, information credibility, and proof of product effectiveness.
This cultural dimension helps explain why physical attractiveness failed to predict trust or loyalty in the study. While appearance may attract initial attention, it does not create the deeper confidence required for repeated purchases and long-term commitment.
For businesses and digital marketers, the implications are substantial.
The findings suggest that livestream success should not be measured solely by audience size or host appearance. Brands seeking sustainable loyalty need to focus on building trustworthy communication environments.
That means providing transparent information, responding quickly to customer questions, maintaining consistency in product demonstrations, and encouraging social validation through testimonials and user experiences.
For TikTok Live sellers and beauty brands, investing in interaction quality may prove more effective than investing exclusively in visual presentation. Trust, rather than entertainment value alone, appears to be the bridge connecting digital engagement with loyal customer behavior.
Beyond business practice, the study contributes to global research on live-stream commerce. Much of the existing literature has been dominated by studies from China and Taiwan. By examining Indonesian consumers in Padang, Rahmawida and Rose Rahmidani provide new evidence that digital loyalty is shaped not only by technology but also by cultural values and local patterns of trust formation.
The research reinforces a growing understanding of online consumer behavior: in live commerce, interaction may attract attention, but trust secures loyalty.
Author Profile
Rahmawida is a researcher from Universitas Negeri Padang whose work focuses on digital consumer behavior, online marketing, and live commerce.
Dr. Rose Rahmidani, S.Pd., M.M. is a lecturer and marketing scholar at Universitas Negeri Padang specializing in marketing management, consumer behavior, and digital business strategy.
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