Determinants of Generation Z' s Stickiness to Live-Streaming Commerce in Malaysia

Low, Eunice Jia Shian (2025) Determinants of Generation Z' s Stickiness to Live-Streaming Commerce in Malaysia. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

Live-streaming commerce has swiftly transformed the digital landscape in Malaysia, driven by broad technology adoption, a thriving e-commerce ecosystem, and the increasing impact of domestic content creators, all of which have positioned the country as an important player in Southeast Asia's digital commerce industry. Although previous studies have examined the purchasing behaviour of Generation Z (Gen Z), limited attention has been focused on the determinants of their continuous engagement in live-streaming commerce. To address this gap, the current research assesses the influence of Trust, Perceived Usefulness, and Interactivity on User Stickiness amongst Malaysian Gen Z, where User Satisfaction acts as a mediator while User Experience mitigates the magnitude the relationship between Interactivity, User Satisfaction, and User Stickiness. In addition, a quantitative research approach was adopted using an online self-administered questionnaire following a cross-sectional study design to collect responses from a sample of 392 Gen Z users of live-streaming commerce across Malaysia. The gathered data were analysed with SPSS 27.0 and SmartPLS 4.1.1.1. Based on the existing literature, the study examines the direct and indirect (simple mediation, simple moderation, and moderated mediation) relationships between these variables: Trust, Perceived Usefulness, Interactivity, User Satisfaction, User Stickiness, and User Experience. Meanwhile, the results emphasise that these determinants have a positive impact on User Satisfaction with User Experience playing a moderating and moderated mediating role, highlighting the important effect of satisfaction on Gen Z's sustained engagement. Moreover, the findings show that all direct and indirect relationships were found to be statistically significantly. On the other hand, the study contributes to theoretical and managerial implications by illustrating the impact of Trust, Perceived Usefulness, Interactivity, and User Satisfaction upon Gen Z stickiness within the live-streaming commerce context. These findings provide actionable insights for different stakeholders: for consumers in Gen Z, it highlights the factors that enhance their stickiness and satisfaction; while for live-streamers (businesses), it provides direction on ways to optimise interactive features and build trust to sustain audiences; and for policymakers, it suggests ways to foster a conducive digital environment that safeguards and retains young consumers. Finally, the paper acknowledges its limitations and offers recommendations regarding future studies to further investigate the evolutionary behaviours and motivations underlying Gen Z's continued engagement with live-streaming commerce. Keywords: User Stickiness, Trust, Perceived Usefulness, Interactivity, User Satisfaction, User Experience, Socio-technical Systems