Due to extreme marketing exposure, live streaming and e-commerce are now being merged as a unique marketing platform. Recently, some studies have identified how live streaming has increased consumer impulse purchase behaviour. They found FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is the primary factor that drives this behaviour. However, despite live streaming being a social media phenomenon, social validation was overlooked by many authors as an organism. This study conducted a primary survey among 467 Chinese participants within an empirical design setting. A structural equation model reveals that, apart from FOMO, social validation is also a significant factor that drives impulse purchase behaviour. Some stimuli, such as visual appeal, price, and product varieties, were also tested. FOMO and social validation were found to mediate these stimuli. Overall, impulse purchase behaviour in live streaming is a combined phenomenon of FOMO and social validation.

Customer Εngagement (CE) in social commerce (s-commerce) has become a focal point for businesses seeking to build long-term consumer relationships in digitally mediated environments. This literature review synthesizes existing research on CE within s-commerce, examining theoretical foundations, key antecedents, mediating and moderating factors, and engagement outcomes. The key findings indicate that among the most important variables for CE is the social support, platform interactivity, and hedonic motivations, while trust and satisfaction act as crucial mediators that bridge initial engagement drivers and long-term outcomes, like brand loyalty and Word-of-Mouth (WοM). Furthermore, the current review discusses the role of moderators, such as demographic characteristics and platform-specific features, in conditioning the impact of CE efforts. It is revealed that engaged consumers not only exhibit increased loyalty and advocacy, but also contribute to the co-creation and community-building efforts within the s-commerce. Future research is encouraged to explore emerging technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), cross-cultural variations in CE, and the ethical concerns surrounding the data privacy and personalization. This review contributes a comprehensive synthesis of CE in s-commerce, positioning it as a strategic asset for brands aiming to foster a sustainable CE in digital ecosystems.

In recent decades, the Korean Wave has surged as a global cultural force, captivating audiences across diverse geographical, cultural and linguistic landscapes, particularly in Asia—including Malaysia. To contribute to knowledge on this dynamic cultural phenomenon, this paper introduces a new analytical approach known as necessary condition analysis (NCA). The study initially investigates how a celebrity's credibility, encompassing attributes such as attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness, alongside consumer self-satisfaction, influences perceptions of the endorsed brand image. Furthermore, the research aims to pinpoint the essential factors shaping a celebrity's credibility and their impact on consumer perceptions. An online survey was conducted with 100 young Malaysian consumers, and their responses were examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that credibility traits such as expertise and self-satisfaction significantly enhance perceptions of the endorsed brand. Additionally, NCA underscores the pivotal role of credibility traits (including expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness) and self-satisfaction in shaping brand image. Notably, both self-satisfaction and expertise emerge as critical and substantial conditions influencing consumer perceptions. Conversely, whilst attractiveness and trustworthiness are not individually impactful on brand image, they are identified as necessary conditions for the outcomes. This study underscores the strategic importance of Korean celebrity endorsements in refining marketing and promotional strategies across diverse industries, leveraging the influential power of the Korean Wave in global consumer markets.

It has been 2 years since the first outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, and continuous efforts and measures have been exerted and implemented to halt its spread, such as the introduction of vaccination programs. However, as with the consumption of other products and services, some people hold different beliefs, consequently affecting their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination. Thus, vaccine unwillingness and hesitancy remain an enormous concern for many countries. This paper explores the effects of anxiety, individual resilience, and conspiracy beliefs on attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among the population of Malaysia—with a focus on Muslim individuals. We used survey data from 438 respondents (205 male, 233 female) to assess the research model. To conduct the multi-group analysis, we used partial least square structural equation modeling in SmartPLS 3. The results suggest that anxiety is positively associated with COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, whereas conspiracy beliefs have an inverse effect on vaccination attitudes, while an individual’s resilience is also positively associated with vaccination attitudes. Furthermore, it is found that the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and vaccination attitudes is weakened for an individual with a higher level of resilience. The findings also reveal the differences and similarities between males and females. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to simultaneously explore and demonstrate the effects of COVID-19-related anxiety, conspiracy beliefs and resilience with people’s attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and to examine the homogeneity of both males and females—especially among Malaysia’s Muslim population—thereby offering a valuable contribution to the literature.

In the past few years, there has been a significant focus on investigating the impact of social media engagement. Although previous studies recognize the importance of social media engagement, there is still a lack of in-depth analysis regarding the specific influences of likes, comments, and shares on consumer behaviour, especially concerning how these engagements affect different platforms. This study aims to examine the relationship between social media engagement metrics (likes, comments, and shares) and consumer purchase intention on two prominent platforms, Facebook and Instagram. By adopting a cross-sectional design, this study employed purposive sampling to gather data from Malaysian university students who have engaged in purchasing activities on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) based on 265 completed responses, comprising 131 from Facebook users and 134 from Instagram users. The results reveal a significant positive relationship between likes and shares with consumer purchase intention on both Facebook and Instagram. However, comments were not found to be associated with consumer purchase intention on either platform. Furthermore, the study conducted a comparative analysis between Facebook and Instagram and found no significant differences in the relationships between engagement metrics and purchase intention. These findings have practical implications for marketers, emphasizing the importance of fostering engagement through likes and shares to drive consumer purchasing behaviour on social media platforms.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.