E-Commerce Influencers in China: Dual-Route Model on Likes, Shares, and Sales

This study investigates behavioral routes deployed by e-commerce influencers in product promotion in China. By analyzing videos posted on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), it posits that the stature of the influencer and the reception of the content are the drivers of audience likes, shares, and sales. Further, how influencers strategically title their videos (product focus, engagement) and how the audience responds through live comments (positive identification, negative identification) are posited to moderate the effects of these two routes. The findings support some of the postulates and uncover unexpected results that provide directions for future research and useful managerial insights. In addition, the deployment of social listening is shown to be a useful research tool, and the dual-route model presents an overarching framework for future studies.