Factors Influencing the Adoption of Social Commerce Live-Streaming Shopping among Malaysian Consumers

Abstract

Social commerce live-streaming shopping has fundamentally transformed Malaysia’s digital retail ecosystem, offering real-time interaction and immediate consumer engagement. However, traditional technology adoption models such as the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT 2) often overlook the human-centric nuances and interpersonal trust inherent to live sales environments. To address this theoretical gap, this conceptual paper extends the UTAUT 2 framework by integrating streamer credibility, which encompasses perceived expertise, trustworthiness and authentic engagement as a vital core construct alongside performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation and price value. Adopting a qualitative, deductive theoretical synthesis, this study maps the complex interdependencies between platform affordances and consumer psychological drivers tailored to the unique socio-cultural dynamics of Malaysia. The conceptual analysis reveals that while conventional UTAUT 2 dimensions effectively acts as the primary catalyst to reduce information asymmetry and mitigate consumer uncertainty during virtual demonstrations. By establishing a structured, multidimensional model, this research bridges the gap between digital platform usability and sustained consumer loyalty. For industry stakeholders and marketers, the framework offers actionable insights, highlighting the need to transition from high-pressure, transactional sales tactics toward trust-centric, community-oriented live-streaming strategies that foster long-term customer engagement. Additionally, this study provides a foundation for future empirical validation and longitudinal research examining how emerging technologies, such as AI-driven virtual avatars, reshape trust-building mechanism within social commerce environments.