Harnessing the power of suspense in megalive sessions: decoding mediating pathways and moderating effects through a multi-theory psychological framework

The globalization of trade and the rapid development of the digital economy have promoted the explosion of e-commerce through livestreaming, which stands out as the megalive phenomenon, extremely large-scale broadcasts with outstanding sales. In this context, keeping consumers in suspense (KCIS) has emerged as an essential strategy that shapes perceptions and promotes consumer behavior. However, this topic has not been fully explored. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of KCIS strategies, including preview fuzziness (PF), suspense setting (SS), and delight creation (DC), on impulsive buying behavior (IBB) through perceived scarcity (PS), curiosity (CU), emotional arousal (EA), and price perception (PP). A purposive sampling method was employed to collect data from 508 Vietnamese consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS was applied for data analysis. The findings reveal that PF, SS, and DC positively influence PS, CU, and EA. In turn, PS, CU, and EA mediate the relationships between PF, SS, DC, and IBB. Furthermore, PP significantly moderates the links between CU and IBB, EA and IBB, and PS and IBB. Based on these results, the study proposes managerial implications for retailers and brands conducting business through livestreaming on e-commerce platforms to enhance the IBB of consumers in megalive sessions. It also provides theoretical insights while highlighting limitations and suggesting directions for future research.