Abstract
Short video advertisements are a novel and influential medium for promoting furniture products, but their effects on consumers’ purchase intentions remain underexplored. This study applies the extended stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework, a psychological theory that elucidates how stimuli (short video ads), organisms (consumers), and responses (purchase intentions) are interrelated. This study quantitatively examines these relationships using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that the Flow experience and Telepresence experience significantly affect purchase intentions, indicating that consumers who experience high levels of engagement and immersion while viewing short furniture-related video ads are more likely to exhibit buying behavior. This study also identifies three critical antecedents of the Telepresence experience: social influence, perceived entertainment value, and perceived interactivity. These factors may enhance the effectiveness of short-form video advertising by increasing consumer interaction and engagement. Moreover, convenience conditions, perceived entertainment value, and media richness significantly influence consumers’ flow experience. This suggests that these factors should be considered when designing short video advertisements to optimize consumers’ flow experience and thus increase purchase intentions. This study provides empirical evidence for the SOR framework, investigates the impact of short video advertisements on furniture consumers’ purchase intention, and offers practical implications and recommendations for marketing practitioners.
Download PDF
Full Article
Consumer Behavior Based on the SOR Model: How Do Short Video Advertisements Affect Furniture Consumers’ Purchase Intentions?
Shulan Yu,* Hongli Zhang, Qun Zheng, Dongdong Chu, Tianyue Chen, and Xinran Chen
Short video advertisements are a novel and influential medium for promoting furniture products, but their effects on consumers’ purchase intentions remain underexplored. This study applies the extended stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework, a psychological theory that elucidates how stimuli (short video ads), organisms (consumers), and responses (purchase intentions) are interrelated. This study quantitatively examines these relationships using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that the Flow experience and Telepresence experience significantly affect purchase intentions, indicating that consumers who experience high levels of engagement and immersion while viewing short furniture-related video ads are more likely to exhibit buying behavior. This study also identifies three critical antecedents of the Telepresence experience: social influence, perceived entertainment value, and perceived interactivity. These factors may enhance the effectiveness of short-form video advertising by increasing consumer interaction and engagement. Moreover, convenience conditions, perceived entertainment value, and media richness significantly influence consumers’ flow experience. This suggests that these factors should be considered when designing short video advertisements to optimize consumers’ flow experience and thus increase purchase intentions. This study provides empirical evidence for the SOR framework, investigates the impact of short video advertisements on furniture consumers’ purchase intention, and offers practical implications and recommendations for marketing practitioners.
DOI: 10.15376/biores.19.2.2639-2659
Keywords: Furniture; Short video; Advertising; Consumer behavior; SOR model; UTAUT model; Flow experience; Structural equation modeling; Consumption behavior
Contact information: College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; *Corresponding author: yusl@njfu.edu.cn
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Short-form video platforms, a relatively new phenomenon, have seen a rapid increase in global users over the past 15 years. This trend has ushered in innovative ways for marketers to engage with consumers. These platforms are ripe with growth potential, representing a novel advertising approach in the mobile internet era. Their development emphasizes personalization, differentiation, and verticalization, enhancing the precision of information delivery to consumers (Yang et al. 2019). These platforms equip vendors to accurately convey messages to a targeted consumer group, facilitating a more transparent comprehension of consumer tastes, choices, and preferences. The extensive reach of short video advertisements also allows marketers to connect with a larger pool of potential customers. Consumers’ information acquisition has transitioned from passive reception to active search in the digital age. External information stimuli largely influence consumers’ shopping decisions in the online milieu. Consequently, short videos have emerged as a potent marketing tool in an era of fragmented time (Cheng et al. 2007).
With its vast market size and prospects, the furniture industry plays a pivotal role in international trade (Miller et al. 1998). The entire industry is progressing towards industrialization. For instance, China’s furniture production value escalated from RMB 140 billion in 2001 to RMB 11.3 trillion in 2012, contributing to 2% of the national GDP (RMB 519,322 billion in 2012). This accounted for a quarter of the world’s furniture output (Xiong et al. 2017). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a noticeable increase in online furniture purchases, propelled by short-form video advertisements. This trend underscores the growing influence of digital marketing strategies in shaping consumer behavior across various industries (Koo and Youn 2021).
Numerous studies have delved into the impact of short video ads on consumption intentions. For instance, some researchers have explored the mechanism of how fast video ads influence young people’s consumption behavior. They employed the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory and established a theoretical framework encompassing fashion, social aspects, entertainment, personalization, branding, psychological needs, satisfaction, and consumption behavior (Tian et al. 2022). Moreover, other studies have concentrated on specific characteristics of short video ads (such as visibility, interactivity, and authenticity) and how these traits influence purchase intentions through consumers’ perceived value and trust (Song et al. 2022). Despite the significance of the furniture industry in the consumer goods market, there is a relative dearth of studies investigating the factors influencing furniture purchase intention via short video advertisements. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on furniture consumer groups.
The theoretical basis of this study is the SOR theory, which is the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory proposed by Mehrabian and Russell (1974). The SOR theory emphasizes the critical role of internal psychological factors in behavior. The thesis argues that stimuli affect individuals’ responses and internal psychological states, which further affect their responses. Therefore, the SOR theory indicates that individuals’ behavior results from complex interactions between stimuli, internal psychological states, and responses. Compared with its predecessor, the “Stimulus-Response” theory (SR), the SOR theory provides a more comprehensive explanation of behavior because it considers the internal psychological processes that support behavior (Thorndike 1898). In addition, the SOR theory focuses more on the analysis and explanation of the internal psychological activity process of the organism, systematically clarifies which psychological factors play a role in the generation of individual behavior, and effectively clarifies the influence mechanism between stimuli and individual behavioral intentions (Mehrabian and Russell 1974). The SOR model is widely used in consumer behavior research. It helps in the understanding of how external stimuli affect individuals’ internal responses, including emotions and cognition, and further affect their purchase intentions (Kim and Lennon 2013).
In this study, the authors amalgamated influential factors on short video advertisements’ impact on purchase intention through a literature review and examined the direct or indirect relationships between these factors. To study furniture consumption intention, the authors integrated and expanded the abovementioned factors to construct a more comprehensive and predictive framework. It was hypothesized that while watching short video ads, consumers’ purchase intentions are influenced by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (performance expectations, effort expectations, social influences, facilitating conditions), short video factors (perceived interactivity, perceived entertainment, and content resource factors). Simultaneously, consumers’ low experience and telepresence experience while watching short video advertisements mediate the effect on furniture purchase intention.
Data were gathered on basic information about furniture consumers, their viewing experience, and the impact of technology and the content of short videos on their willingness to purchase home furnishings. These data were subsequently analyzed and tabulated. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to construct, estimate, and test causal models. It considers both manifest and latent variables and is used to analyze path relationships between complex variables. Many empirical studies have employed SEM as a data analysis technique (Li 1975; Smith and Naylor 1987; Landis et al. 2000; Cui et al. 2022; Liu and Zheng 2022). In this study, SEM was used to test and validate the proposed model.
The subsequent sections of this paper will elaborate on the literature review, research model and hypotheses, research methodology, analyzed results, and findings.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Short Video Advertising Perception
Advertising is an activity that disseminates information to elicit stimuli through various advertising attributes such as credibility, entertainment, information, information relevance, and excitement (Ge et al. 2021). This process shapes positive consumer perceptions of a product or brand. Effectively managing the triggering of these stimuli can foster positive product perceptions and consequently influence positive purchase intentions.
Perceived entertainment refers to the degree of pleasure, enjoyment, and significance users experience when utilizing a specific system or platform. It plays a crucial role in influencing consumer acceptance of short-form video advertising. In short video research, perceived entertainment can denote users’ subjective pleasure from watching or creating short videos. This impacts user satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, and purchase intention (Balog and Pribeanu 2010; McMillan and Hwang 2002). Perceived interactivity, conversely, is a psychological state that users experience when interacting with media content, such as short videos. It reflects whether users feel engaged in a simulated human-computer interaction (Chu and Kim 2017; Sally and Jang-Sun 2002). Perceived entertainment and perceived interactivity are fundamental characteristics of short video advertisements (Zhao and Wang 2020).
The Media Richness Theory, initially proposed by Daft and Lengel (1986), refers to how users comprehend short video advertisement messages within a specific timeframe following their dissemination and processing via media. Short video advertisements with high media richness can effectively present product information through diverse content and expressions, facilitating understanding among individuals of varying educational backgrounds, ages, social classes, and genders. The media richness of short video advertisements significantly influences users’ browsing behavior and willingness to view short videos. In this study, the unique characteristics of short videos was considered, and the Media Richness Theory was broken down into three dimensions: information content richness, information expression richness, and information quality richness (Burnsed and Hodges 2014). Information content richness pertains to the comprehensiveness and exhaustiveness of the information on home furnishings in short videos. Information expression richness involves the variety of ways the short video presents home furnishings and allows users to express themselves through text, images, emoticons, audio, and video. Information quality richness evaluates whether the quality of the information provided by the short video meets consumers’ expectations and whether it allows consumers to perceive the quality of the product and trust the content of the short video ads.
UTAUT
The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, proposed by Venkatesh et al. (2003), is a theoretical framework used to explain individual adoption behavior towards technology (Venkatesh and Davis 2000). Past research has demonstrated that the UTAUT model can be applied to study consumer purchase intentions (Chen et al. 2021). The UTAUT model explains the adoption of new technologies by examining social influence and cognitive processes. Social influence pertains to whether an individual’s surrounding people believe they should use the new product, technology, or feature (Venkatesh et al. 2003).
Performance Expectation (PE) is the consumer’s anticipation of the effects and benefits of purchasing furniture as perceived through advertising (Sair and Danish 2018). It can be characterized by factors, such as features, content, and services, on short-form video platforms (Khatimah and Halim 2014). For instance, consumers may be influenced by the quality of products, prices, and after-sale guarantees displayed in short videos, which may enhance their willingness to purchase household products (Onaolapo and Oyewole 2018).
Effort Expectancy (EE) refers to consumers’ expectations about the ease and convenience of purchasing furniture using short video platforms (Onaolapo and Oyewole 2018; Sair and Danish 2018). It can be characterized by interface, operation, and interaction on short video platforms (Hidayatullah et al. 2020). For example, consumers may be influenced by popular trends, brands, celebrity endorsements, or user reviews shown in short videos, which may increase their willingness to purchase furniture.
Social Influence (SI) refers to consumers’ concern about the perceptions and behaviors of others and how they adjust their purchasing decisions based on those perceptions and behaviors (Lin et al. 2022). It can be demonstrated through fashion, sociability, and trust on short-form video platforms (Tian et al. 2022). For example, consumers may be influenced by trends, brands, celebrity endorsements, or user reviews displayed in short videos, which may increase their willingness to purchase household products (Sriram et al. 2021).
Facilitating Conditions (FC) are consumers’ expectations of external support and assistance when purchasing furniture products (Ferreira et al. 2023; Lin et al. 2022). The FC can be characterized by technological, policy, and social factors on short-form video platforms. For instance, consumers may be influenced by product reviews, returns, and customer service shown in short videos, which may increase their willingness to purchase home furnishings (Tian et al. 2022).
Telepresence and Flow Experience
Telepresence, a state of mind that gives users the feeling of being in another place, plays a significant role in e-commerce and short video advertisements (Draper et al. 1998). It can influence users’ attitudes towards websites and products and their purchase intentions. Telepresence has been shown to have a positive predictive effect on consumers’ purchase intention, with the flow experience mediating the effect of telepresence on purchase intention (Zhu et al. 2022). In short-form video advertising, telepresence refers to the authenticity and immersion experienced in an online shopping environment (Zhu et al. 2022). It positively correlates with consumer autonomy and stickiness, thereby increasing consumers’ purchase motivation and loyalty in the online shopping marketplace (Gao et al. 2018).
The study also explores how individuals achieve an optimal mental state, known as a flow state, while participating in various activities (Csikszentmihalyi 1988). This state is characterized by high concentration, enjoyment, and creativity. Previous research has demonstrated a significant, influential relationship between the flow experience and online purchase intentions (Huang 2012). The stronger the flow experience, the higher the likelihood of sustained intention, purchase intention, and impulse purchase.
In conclusion, flow experience and telepresence are crucial in marketing as they can positively influence consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions in online marketing.
Furniture Consumption Intention
According to Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1977) Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), consumer behavior is largely determined by their intentions. The furniture industry, a significant consumer goods market, has seen the increasing importance of online home sales platforms with the rapid advancement of smart manufacturing technology and e-commerce (Xiong et al. 2018; Rangaswamy et al. 2022). To maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace and cater to consumer demand for various types of furniture, understanding consumer needs and consumption influences has become particularly crucial (Burnsed and Hodges 2014). Various studies have confirmed that consumers’ attitudes towards short video advertisements impact their purchase intentions (Yang et al. 2017; Sheng et al. 2022; Dou and Zhang 2023). Researchers have examined the diverse factors that consumers consider when purchasing furniture, including product type, price, brand, quality, and features (Burnsed and Hodges 2014). Xu et al. (2020) found that consumers were more likely to have positive attitudes towards purchasing furniture if they had a positive experience in the past when purchasing furniture products through short-form video advertisements. Therefore, this study will consider consumers’ willingness to purchase furniture.
Hypothesis Formation and Research Modeling
This paper expands the SOR framework based on the UTAUT model, short video feature variables, flow theory, and immersion theory to construct a research model of furniture purchase intention.
Structural equation modeling is used to verify the effects of Consumption Intention, Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, Flow Experience, Media Richness Theory, Performance Expectancy, Perceived Enjoyment, Perceived Interactivity, Social Influence and Telepresence on consumers’ willingness to purchase furniture. The research model is depicted in Fig. 1. The SOR framework considers the various influences of short video advertisements as stimuli (S), which affect the internal states of individual organisms (O) and thus drive their behavioral responses (R) (Song et al. 2022). Previous research indicates that immersion experience and flow experience significantly affect human behavior, with flow experience mediating between immersion experience and user behavior (Wang et al. 2022). When individuals are in telepresence and flow experiences, they typically concentrate all their attention on short video advertisements. In a shopping context, this implies that consumers may be more focused on browsing and evaluating furniture products, making them less susceptible to other distractions. This aids them in understanding and considering purchase options more thoroughly, thereby increasing the likelihood of a purchase. Simultaneously, it also enhances the interaction and connection between consumers and furniture products.
Fig. 1. Research framework
Therefore, this paper proposes the following hypotheses to explore the relationship between telepresence and flow experiences on furniture purchase intentions:
H1a: Telepresence experience positively influences the willingness to purchase furniture.
H1b: Telepresence experience mediates the causal relationship between flow experience and purchase intention.
H2: Flow experience positively influences the willingness to purchase furniture.
This study posits that the unique characteristics of short video advertisements must be considered. Short video advertising, an emerging form of advertising, differs from traditional methods. These ads are delivered to users through images, text, videos, and interactive elements on short video platforms. Three dimensions of perceived factors in short video advertisements have been summarized from past research to investigate their impact on purchase intention. Perceived entertainment, a key psychological factor, assesses the degree of enjoyment an individual derives from ad content (Khatimah and Halim 2014; Antoniadis et al. 2019; Chen et al. 2021). If short video ads can elicit pleasure in consumers, then they are more likely to develop a positive attitude toward the ads. This positive attitude could translate into purchase intentions as consumers tend to interact with brands or products, they find enjoyable and interesting (Zhou et al. 2023). The Media Richness Theory emphasizes the information-carrying capacity of different media forms. For short video ads, the combination of visual and auditory elements often makes the ad more engaging and compelling. Perceived interactivity refers to the degree of interaction between consumers and ad content. Short video ads often provide opportunities for viewers to interact with the content, such as clicking links, participating in polls, or sharing ads. This interactivity could increase purchase intention by enhancing consumers’ sense of engagement and motivation.
Therefore, this paper proposes the following hypotheses:
H3a: Perceived entertainment has a positive effect on the flow experience.
H3b: Perceived entertainment has a positive effect on the telepresence experience.
H4a: Media richness theory has a positive effect on the flow experience.
H4b: The theory of media richness has a positive effect on the telepresence experience.
H5a: Perceived interactivity has a positive effect on the flow experience.
H5b: Perceived interactivity has a positive effect on telepresence experience.
This paper argues that for the furniture industry, short video ads are a relatively new form of advertising that needs to be considered in terms of user acceptance of short video ads. The UTAUT model is a widely used model for understanding the acceptance and adoption of information technology, and it can also be used to study other types of advertising and consumer behavior. Many past studies on advertising, willingness, and consumer behavior have used UTAUT-related models such as TAM (the predecessor of the UTAUT model) to conduct research (Chen et al. 2021, Khatimah and Halim 2014). Therefore, this paper cites the measurement indicators in the UTAUT model used as research and proposes the following hypotheses for further research:
H6a: Facilitation positively affects the flow experience.
H6b: Facilitation positively affects the immersion experience.
H7a: Social influence positively affects the flow experience.
H7b: Social influence positively affects immersion experience.
H8a: Effort expectancy positively affects the flow experience.
H8b: Effort expectancy has a positive effect on immersion experience.
H9a: Performance expectation has a positive effect on the flow experience.
H9b: Performance expectation has a positive effect on immersion experience.
Methods
Data Collection Process
This study collected primary data from China (predominantly developed coastal areas) using a convenience sampling technique. The sample size was determined based on the principle that the sample size should be 5 to 10 times the number of questionnaire items, with a minimum sample size of 200 (Boomsma 1987). A total of 669 questionnaires were collected, with 504 valid for SEM analysis.
Data was collected online using “Question Star” software and through online questionnaire surveys distributed by furniture companies. Additionally, data were obtained offline by distributing keychains and masks at subway stations. To ensure data authenticity, each respondent’s IP address and location information were recorded, with only one questionnaire allowed per IP address. No personal information was collected, with the goal of maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.
Before respondents filled out the questionnaire, they were informed about the study’s purpose, and the data collection period spanned from March 1 to April 1, 2022. Respondents were informed about their option to decline participation.
Out of the 717 questionnaires submitted, 504 were considered valid. The respondents comprised 205 males (40.7%) and 299 females (59.3%). Indeed, the largest age group among the respondents, accounting for 76.6% of the total, was between 18 and 45 years old. This aligns with the fact that individuals within this age range constitute the primary audience for short videos (Guo and Deng 2022).
The education level and monthly income of the respondents were relatively evenly distributed. It is worth noting that 75.3% of respondents have watched furniture video clip advertisements and made a purchase after watching the advertisement. Further, this item was used as an exclusion. Specific sample information can be found in Table 1.
Table 1. Demographics of Respondents (n = 504)
Measurement Process
To study the influencing factors of short video advertisements on the consumption intention of furniture consumers, this paper conducted a questionnaire survey for the population of furniture consumers and designed a questionnaire based on previous studies. In addition, small-scale interviews were conducted with short video ad creators and furniture industry professionals to better design the questionnaire.
To ensure the quality of the questionnaire, a small-scale pre-survey was conducted among 40 college students who frequently browse short videos, and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were analyzed. The opinions of five industry professionals were also incorporated to modify some measurement items involved in the questionnaire to finalize the formal questionnaire.
The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part aimed to collect basic information about the users, including gender, age, monthly income, short video viewing habits, and household goods consumption. The second part was designed to measure influencing factors with indicators taken from previous studies. The questionnaire used a 5-point Likert scale, with values ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
Table 2. Reliability and Validity Analysis Results of the Questionnaire
Reliability tests for questionnaire scales typically include internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s α), average variance extraction coefficients (AVE), and composite reliability (CR). As per the data in Table 2, Cronbach’s α values for all of the factors were greater than 0.8. Additionally, the AVE values for each of the measurement item factors were all greater than 0.5, and the composite reliability had CR values greater than 0.7. The Cronbach’s α of the total measurement items was 0.952, which was also greater than 0.8. This data indicates that the measurement items of the questionnaire have high reliability, and the results are reliable and trustworthy.
Table 3. Reliability Analysis Data Table
Validity tests in this study include content validity and structural validity. The research scale was designed through three processes: literature research, expert interviews, and pre-survey. The items were carefully refined and revised, resulting in high content validity. From the data in Table 3, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.928 was greater than 0.8, while Bartlett’s sphericity value was statistically significant (p < 0.001). These results indicate that there was a high degree of correlation between the research data, making it suitable for a factor analysis to verify structural validity. In the validated factor analysis (CFA), the factor loadings for each item were greater than 0.7, indicating good validity of the measurement model. Factor loadings represent the degree of association between each item and the latent factor it represents, and factor loadings greater than 0.7 are generally considered high, further confirming the structural validity of the scale.
The normal distribution, or Gaussian distribution, is a continuous probability distribution that describes real-valued random variables. The maximum likelihood method usually requires that the sample data obey a normal distribution. According to the data shown in Table 4, the sample data in this study meets the assumption of a normal distribution as the absolute values of the skewness coefficient and kurtosis coefficient are less than 1.96. Therefore, it is suitable for the structural equation modeling approach.
Discriminant validity is crucial in assessing whether a measurement instrument or construct can distinguish between different dimensions or concepts. In this study, discriminant validity was examined by comparing the square root of the AVE value of the latent variable with the correlation coefficients of other variables (Hair, Jr. et al. 2014). The criterion proposed by Fornell and Larcker (1981) can also be used to test discriminant validity. This criterion requires that each construct’s average variance extracted (AVE) should be greater than the highest squared correlation with any other construct. In other words, the square root of the AVE value should be greater than the maximum value of the correlation coefficient with any other construct. Based on the data shown in Table 5, each latent variable has sufficient discriminant validity as the square root of the AVE value for each construct is greater than the highest correlation coefficient with any other variable.
Table 4. Normal Distribution Test Questionnaire
Table 5. Results of the Discriminant Validity Test
Table 6. Analysis of Model Results