A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science analyzed over 12,900 product pitches from 1,308 livestream selling sessions on platforms such as TikTok and Amazon Live. The research examined how changes in influencers' facial expressions during livestreams affect audience engagement and sales.
The Engagement Paradox
Frequent emotional shifts by influencers initially increase likes and comments but distract viewers from the product, leading to lower sales. This finding reveals a critical trade-off between building audience interaction and driving conversions.
The negative effect on sales is most pronounced within the three minutes following an emotional transition. Sudden shifts between positive and negative emotions are particularly detrimental, while transitions involving neutral emotions are less damaging to sales.
Mitigating the Penalty
Viewers' product-related questions and comments in real-time can mitigate the sales penalty by refocusing attention on the product. This suggests that interactive elements can counteract the distraction caused by emotional volatility.
Study Methodology
The study tracked six types of emotional transitions:
- Positive to negative
- Negative to positive
- Positive to neutral
- Neutral to positive
- Neutral to negative
- Negative to neutral
Lead author Sichen Meng noted that this is the first study to examine how influencers' emotional changes affect both engagement and sales in the same livestream environment. The research team included Meng, Associate Professor Frank Mathmann, and Associate Professor Di Wang from QUT's School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.
Expert Recommendations
Influencers are advised to:
- Maintain emotional stability
- Invite product-related questions
- Highlight emerging topics
- Streamline viewer-initiated questions to convert engagement into sales