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2.1Stimulus-Organism-Response Model (SOR)
Existing quantitative studies predominantly rely on behavioral indicators such as click-through rate and conversion rate (Zhong et al. 2024), or biometric sensors like eye-tracking experiments to measure consumer responses (Kim and Lee 2021). However, these approaches fail to fully capture the dynamic cognitive and emotional processes of elderly consumers. Behavioral indicators only reflect the final outcomes of live streaming, without identifying specific elements that drive these results. Meanwhile, biometric sensors primarily measure short-term physiological responses, such as arousal, and fail to capture the long-term trust-building that occurs during live broadcasts. This oversight is significant, as trust established over time is crucial for understanding the deeper cognitive and emotional engagement of elderly consumers.
The Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, originally developed within the field of environmental psychology (Mehrabian and Russell 1974), has since found extensive application in marketing and e-commerce research (Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis 2001). This model offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing how external stimuli trigger internal states, which subsequently drive behavioral responses. In live-streaming e-commerce, stimuli encompass content characteristics such as product displays and characteristics of host. These elements interact with the cognitive and affective systems of elderly consumers, ultimately influencing their purchase intention. Critically, the SOR model alone is sufficient to fully explain the dual-path decision-making processes observed among elderly populations. By combining these theoretical perspectives, this framework not only bridges the gap between environmental stimuli and elderly consumers’ cognitive and emotional trade-offs, but also offers a more nuanced understanding of their decision-making dynamics.
2.2Stimulus (S)
Content marketing demonstrates its distinct advantages when targeting the elderly market segment. Research by Lesakova (2016) indicates that this demographic places an emphasis on the intrinsic utility of the products and the degree of satisfaction of their own needs. Content marketing is particularly effective in enhancing awareness and trust in product value by providing detailed product information and practical use cases. To better understand the underlying mechanisms, the design of live-streaming content for elderly consumers requires careful consideration of three critical dimensions: content relevance, information quality, and host characteristics.
In terms of content relevance, elderly consumers demonstrate a clear preference for content that aligned with their physiological needs (Liu et al. 2025) and psychological preferences (Thörnqvist et al. 2025). Empirical evidence from CBNData reveals a significant expansion in the consumption of online health and nutritional products among senior citizens, with the market scale nearly doubling over the past three years (Hu, Fu, and Gan 2022). This trend underscores the elderly cohort's pronounced emphasis on functional utility. Particularly noteworthy is the emerging "new elderly" demographic, comprising individuals born in the 1960s and 1970s (Li 2022). This group exhibits elevated digital proficiency, enhanced disposable income, and diverse consumption aspirations spanning health maintenance, cultural tourism, and lifelong learning pursuits (Cheng 2025). Consequently, content strategies targeting this demographic must evolve to accommodate their active lifestyle orientations and multifaceted consumer requirements.
Regarding information quality, particular attention should be given to the clarity of information presentation and product displays. Clarity, in this context, involves the volume, pace, and complexity of the information. Product displays, pertain to the demonstration of the use cases and the strengths and weaknesses of products. On one hand, well-designed product displays can effectively alleviate the uncertainty that elderly consumers may experience regarding products. By enabling interaction, these displays can also cultivate trust. This is especially significant given that elderly individuals tend to be more cautious during the decision-making process, as noted by Lu and Chen (2021). On the other hand, elderly consumers often struggle with information overload and technical complexity in digital environments (Qian 2024). Product descriptions that are overly detailed or laden with jargon can be particularly overwhelming for this demographic. Research in the domain of live-streaming e-commerce has indicated that employing simplified yet comprehensive explanations can significantly enhance cognitive accessibility for users (Qian 2024). Therefore, it is of great importance to comprehend the threshold between simplicity and informativeness in product presentations.
Host characteristics represent a key dimension in live-stream shopping. The credibility of anchors and the use of dialects are two significant factors within this dimension. Research has demonstrated that the credibility of presenters or influencers exerts a substantial influence on purchase decisions, particularly in live-stream shopping contexts (Chen et al. 2024). Elderly consumers, who may harbor greater skepticism toward generic marketing claims, are more likely to be swayed by the expert endorsements of anchors. Such endorsements confer a sense of authority and trustworthiness, which are paramount for this demographic. In addition, the use of dialects also plays a pivotal role in reducing perceived risks and fostering reliability. This reliability, in turn, reinforces the trust-building process. For elderly consumers who prioritize authenticity and genuine connections (Leigh, Peters, and Shelton 2006), the use of dialects can be especially potent. However, the specific role of dialects in constructing trust among elderly consumers remains unexplored in the current literature.
2.3Organism (O)
The organism component of the SOR framework captures the cognitive and affective mechanisms through which elderly consumers process live-streaming stimuli. Breaking it into perceived value, cognitive load, and trust allows for a nuanced analysis of their decision-making processes in live-streaming environments.
Cognitive engagement in elderly consumers manifests through perceived value and the cognitive load. Perceived value is a key concept in consumer behavior research. It represents the consumers' subjective evaluation of the overall benefits they expect to receive from a product or service relative to its costs (Zeithaml 1988). In the context of live-streaming, when the content is highly relevant and informative, consumers may perceive that they are getting more value for their time and potential purchase. Higher perceived value can lead to more positive attitudes toward the products and stronger purchase intentions. Previous research points out that informative product display could significantly enhance perceived value while reducing uncertainty by the means of detailed use cases and risk-benefit comparisons (Lu and Chen 2021). Additionally, information aligned with their health interests significantly boosts perceived value (Gong et al. 2024).
According to Sweller (1988), cognitive load refers to the psychological pressure generated by the working memory system when an individual is processing information, learning or solving problems due to the total amount and complexity of information. When task demands exceed its capacity, it can lead to cognitive overload, reducing learning efficiency or decision quality. Therefore, cognitive limitations in aging populations, such as reduced working memory and processing speed, heighten susceptibility to cognitive overload (Pavlidis 2025).While younger users tolerate high information density (Lee et al. 2023), elderly consumers often experience overload from complex interfaces or rapid presentations in live-streaming (Qian 2024).
Trust is generally defined as the psychological state in which an individual or group, in the presence of risk or uncertainty, is willing to take vulnerability behavior based on positive expectations of the reliability, goodwill, or ability of others (Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman 1995). Informative product displays, which provide risk-benefit comparisons, align with the positive expectation of reliability. Similarly, the use of dialects can enhance trust and foster emotional bonds with elderly consumers. Expert endorsements also play a key role in building trust by providing a sense of trustworthiness. For instance, the "White Coat Effect" shows that the presence of medical professionals in live streams can increase trust (Brase and Richmond 2004). Given their cautious approach to decision-making and higher susceptibility to uncertainty, elderly consumers tend to place greater reliance on emotional trust (Leung, Zhong, and Sun 2025). This emotional bond can significantly boost their engagement and purchase intentions in the context of live-streaming e-commerce.
Based on the above discussion, the following hypotheses are formulated:
H1: Content relevance has a positive impact on the perceived value of elderly consumers.
H2: Product displays have a positive impact on the perceived value of elderly consumers.
H3: Product displays has a positive effect on the trust of elderly consumers.
H4: The clarity of information has a negative impact on the cognitive load of elderly consumers.
H5: Expert endorsement has a positive impact on the trust of elderly consumers.
H6: The use of dialects has a positive impact on the trust of elderly consumers.
2.4Response (R)
Purchase intentions reflect consumers' likelihood of making a purchase decision (Wang 2024). In the live-streaming environment, elderly consumers' purchase intentions are shaped by various factors. As mentioned earlier, stimulus factors like content design can influence organism factors such as perceived value, cognitive load and trust, which ultimately affect purchase intentions. Existing literature has indicated that positive perceived value (He 2024) and high trust levels (Lu, Fan, and Zhou 2016) can enhance purchase intentions, while high cognitive load tends to have a negative impact (Allen et al. 2013). By understanding these relationships, businesses can adjust their live-streaming content strategies to foster more favorable purchase intentions among elderly consumers.
Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H7: Perceived value has a positive impact on the purchase intention of elderly consumers.
H8: Cognitive load has a negative impact on the purchase intention of elderly consumers.
H9: Trust has a positive impact on the purchase intention of elderly consumers.