Serving the Weak or Strong? The Strategic Role of Live‐Streamers' Service Inclusion in Live‐Streaming e‐Commerce

ABSTRACT The growing popularity of live‐streaming e‐commerce has transformed consumer shopping experiences, with live‐streamers playing a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior. Grounded in a theoretical framework that integrates authenticity and social responsibility, this study investigates how live‐streamers' service inclusion (serving weak vs. strong sellers) influences consumer purchase intention and loyalty. It highlights perceived live‐streamer authenticity as a key mechanism and examines the moderating effect of live‐streamer popularity. Four experiments with 860 participants reveal that live‐streamers serving weak (vs. strong) sellers are perceived as more authentic, leading to stronger purchase intention and live‐streamer loyalty. These effects are particularly pronounced for lesser‐known live‐streamers, for whom service inclusion constitutes a critical factor in building self‐authenticity. This study introduces service inclusion as a novel driver of consumer purchasing behavior in live‐streaming e‐commerce, demonstrating its potential to support underperforming sellers and promote marketplace fairness. The findings enrich the literature on live‐streaming e‐commerce and service inclusion while providing actionable insights for live‐streamers and platforms aiming to foster inclusivity and equity in the rapidly evolving e‐commerce ecosystems.