1. Introduction

Against the background of the rapid development of network technology, webcasting and online shopping have penetrated into the daily lives of teenagers. According to statistics, the number of youth Internet users in China has exceeded 200 million, most of whom have spent money on live broadcasting or online shopping platforms. However, it is worrying that the consumption behavior of teenagers on these two platforms is often influenced by impulsive psychology, and irrational consumption phenomenon appears frequently. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to study in depth the factors affecting adolescents’ impulsive consumption of live broadcasting rooms and online shopping platforms and to propose targeted coping strategies on this basis.

In this era of rapid progress in network technology, teenagers are keen to spend money on live broadcasting and online shopping platforms, but this is often influenced by impulsive psychology. In order to solve this problem, we need to conduct an in-depth study of adolescents’ consumption behavior in live broadcasting rooms and online shopping platforms, analyze the influencing factors involved, and develop targeted coping strategies.

2. Literature Review

In the research on the factors of impulsive consumption of adolescents in live broadcasting rooms and online shopping platforms, scholars in China have published numerous in-depth analysis of the relevant papers. Chen Xiyue took consumer psychology as an entry point to conduct an in-depth exploration of teenagers’ consumption behavior in live shopping. Her study reveals that the influence of emotional factors on the consumption behavior of teenagers in live shopping is particularly significant, thus inducing impulsive consumption. In order to reduce the occurrence of such consumption behavior, Chen Xiyue proposes a series of strategies, such as enhancing consumers’ self-control ability [1].

Meanwhile, international scholars have also conducted extensive research in this area. Taking Berger Jonah & Packard Grant as an example, they came to a similar conclusion by studying the live-streaming shopping behaviors of teenagers: teenagers are more likely to be influenced by live-streaming content when they are live-streaming shopping, thus resulting in impulsive consumption. They further made some suggestions, such as improving consumers’ cognitive ability and self-control, to reduce the incidence of impulse spending [2].

Overall, scholars have conducted in-depth research on the factors of impulsive consumption among teenagers in live broadcasting rooms and online shopping platforms, both at home and abroad. These research results provide important theoretical support for us to understand and prevent the impulsive consumption behavior of adolescents.

3. Characterization of Impulsive Consumption of Adolescents on Online Shopping Platforms

3.1. Characterization of Online Shopping Platforms

Diversified goods and services: live broadcasting room/online shopping platforms offer a wide range of goods and services covering all aspects of life. Such diversified choices make it easier for teenagers to find goods that meet their needs and interests on the platform, thus increasing the possibility of impulsive consumption.

Real-time interactivity: The real-time interactivity of the live broadcasting room/online shopping platform allows consumers to communicate with merchants, anchors or other consumers in real time during the shopping process. This interactivity enhances the shopping experience on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is also easy for consumers to be influenced by others in the interactive process, resulting in impulsive consumption [3].

Various marketing tactics: Live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms use various marketing tactics, such as limited-time rush, coupons, full-reduced activities, etc., to stimulate consumers’ desire to buy. Teenagers are prone to impulse spending when exposed to these marketing strategies.

Personalized recommendation: live chat rooms/online shopping platforms usually make personalized recommendations based on consumers’ shopping records and preferences. This kind of recommendation meets the personalized needs of teenagers to a certain extent, but it is also easy for them to find more products of interest during the browsing process, thus generating impulse spending.

Convenient Payment Methods: The live broadcast/online shopping platform provides a variety of convenient payment methods, such as Alipay and WeChat payment. This convenient payment method lowers the threshold of shopping, making it easier for teenagers to generate impulse spending in the shopping process.

Social attributes: Many live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms have social attributes, where consumers can share shopping tips and evaluate products. This social attribute makes it easier for teenagers to be influenced by others and thus generate impulse spending.

3.2. Characterization of Teenagers’ Consumption Behavior on Online Shopping Platforms

Fragmentation of shopping time: teenagers’ consumption behavior in live broadcasting room/online shopping platform shows obvious fragmentation characteristics. They use fragmented time such as after-school time and evening rest time to do shopping, and this kind of shopping makes it easier for teenagers to access a large number of commodities in a short period of time, which increases the possibility of impulsive consumption [4].

Consumption decisions are easily influenced by others: teenagers’ consumption decisions in live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms are easily influenced by anchors, merchants and other consumers. They may be infected by the words of anchors in the live broadcasting room, or influenced by other consumers’ favorable comments in shopping reviews, thus resulting in impulse spending.

Lower price sensitivity: Compared to consumers of other age groups, teenagers are less price sensitive on live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms. They pay more attention to the personalization and fashionability of the goods rather than the price when shopping, which makes teenagers more likely to be influenced by various discount strategies on live broadcast/online shopping platforms, resulting in impulse spending.

High Repeat Purchase Rate: Teenagers have a high repeat purchase rate on live streaming/online shopping platforms. After a good initial shopping experience, they are prone to develop trust in the platform and the product, thus choosing the live room/online shopping platform again for their next shopping trip, further increasing the likelihood of impulse spending [5].

3.3. Characterization of Adolescents’ Impulsive Consumption on Online Shopping Platforms

Unplanned purchase: teenagers’ impulsive consumption in live broadcasting room/online shopping platform is manifested as unplanned purchase. They often decide to buy on the fly when browsing for goods because they are attracted by merchants, anchors or the goods themselves, rather than including shopping plans in advance.

Higher purchase amount and frequency: Teenagers’ impulsive spending on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms usually manifests itself in higher purchase amount and purchase frequency. They buy a large number of goods in a short period of time, which easily leads to overspending and overconsumption.

Uncertainty about the actual demand for goods: Teenagers’ impulsive spending on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms is often characterized by uncertainty about the actual demand for goods. They may buy a product because of its appearance, packaging or recommendation by others, rather than actually needing the product.

Possible negative emotions after spending: teenagers may have negative emotions after impulsive spending on live rooms/online shopping platforms. They may develop negative emotions such as anxiety and regret because of overspending, purchasing unsatisfactory goods, etc [6].

Teenagers are not mature, so they like to follow the trend of the times. Teenagers are rich in heart, keen, rich in fantasy, innovative, dare to break through the old traditional concepts and secular prejudice, easy to accept new things, follow the trend of the times. Their purchasing behavior tends to seek new and beautiful, like to buy goods rich in contemporary characteristics, show their modern lifestyle, in order to win the praise and envy of others. Therefore, digital products such as electronic products are the hardest hit by impulse spending, and it is also the most difficult for everyone to restrain the desire to buy.

4. Analysis of Influential Factors on Impulsive Spending of Teenagers on Online Shopping Platforms

4.1. Personal Factors

Age: The age of teenagers is an important factor in their consumption on online shopping platform. With the growth of age, their consumption ability and consumption concepts will also change, thus affecting their consumption behavior.

Gender: gender is also an important factor influencing teenagers’ impulsive spending on live room/online shopping platforms. There are certain differences in the consumption preference, consumption ability and consumption behavior of teenagers of different genders, for example, female teenagers may be more inclined to buy clothing, cosmetics, etc., while male teenagers may be more inclined to buy digital products and games, etc [7].

Income level: The income level of teenagers directly affects their spending power. Teenagers with higher incomes may be more prone to impulsive spending, while those with lower incomes may be more cautious in their spending.

Education level: The education level of adolescents has a significant impact on their spending attitudes and behaviors. Adolescents with higher education levels may be more conscious of rational spending, while those with lower education levels may be more susceptible to the influence of external factors and impulsive spending.

Personality traits: Adolescents’ personality traits, such as character and values, may also affect their spending behavior. For example, impulsive adolescents may be more likely to spend impulsively, while cautious adolescents may spend more rationally.

Consumer attitudes: Adolescents’ consumer attitudes have a significant impact on their spending behavior. Adolescents with overly permissive consumer attitudes may be more prone to impulsive spending, while adolescents with more cautious consumer attitudes may be more rational in their spending [8].

Online gaming, as an important presence in consumption, is also well worth improving. For example, business analyst Avery Consulting released the “Insight Report on the Consumption Behavior of Chinese Minors Aged 12-18”. The report mentions that the average monthly disposable pocket money of adults aged 12 to 18 is 370 yuan, with more boys than girls, about 455 yuan versus 281 yuan. And 81.7% of minors spent their pocket money on offline goods, and among them, 82.8% spent their spending on school supplies.

Relatively speaking, the proportion of online consumption of 12-18 years old is 47.1%, of which online game consumption accounts for the most, about 15.6% of the online consumption group, the last three are online music (10.2%), online courses (8.8%) and online novels (6.4%). It can be seen that even for online consumption, a small 10% of users spend their pocket money on education [9].

4.2. Social Factors

Family background: The family background of adolescents has an important influence on their consumption behavior. The family’s economic situation, family members’ consumption concepts and consumption behaviors will all have an impact on adolescents. For example, adolescents with better family financial situation are more likely to have impulsive consumption; adolescents whose family members’ consumption concepts are too loose are also more likely to have impulsive consumption.

Peer influence: Teenagers’ impulsive spending on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms is more influenced by their peers. They may spend impulsively because of their peers’ recommendation, evaluation, or showing off mentality in their social circle. Meanwhile, adolescents’ interactive behaviors on the live broadcasting room/online shopping platform may also be influenced by their peers.

Socio-cultural environment: the socio-cultural environment has an important influence on adolescents’ consumption behavior. The degree of social encouragement and tolerance of adolescents’ consumption, and the social evaluation of different consumption behaviors all influence adolescents’ consumption behaviors. For example, the prevalence of a consumerist culture may make adolescents more prone to impulsive spending [10].

Media Influence: The media has an important influence on adolescents’ consumption behavior. Advertisements, film and television dramas, and Internet content all influence adolescents’ consumerism and consumption behavior. For example, advertisements and content that over-emphasize shopping sprees may stimulate impulsive spending among adolescents.

5. Coping Strategies for Impulsive Consumption Among Adolescents On Live Online Shopping Platforms

5.1. Role Of Parents and School Education

Parents should strengthen the education of consumption concepts for teenagers, help them establish correct consumption concepts, and improve their consumption judgment and self-control. Schools can offer consumer education courses to help young people understand consumer psychology, consumer economics and other knowledge through education and practical activities to improve their consumer literacy. The guardian can file a civil lawsuit with the court, on the evidence, fix the chat, recharge records, registration and login process, use and consumption of notarization and so on are very important [11].

5.2. Self-adjustment Of Live Broadcasting Online Shopping Platforms

Live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms can set up a teenager mode to impose reasonable restrictions on teenagers’ consumption behavior, such as limiting the amount of consumption, the time of consumption and the types of consumption. Live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms should strengthen the audit of product information to eliminate false propaganda and induced consumption behavior. The live broadcasting room/online shopping platform can add a consumption reminder function to remind teenagers of rational consumption [12].

The Central Civilization Office, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Radio and Television, the State Internet Information Office and other four departments issued the “Opinions on Regulating Live Webcast Rewards and Strengthening the Protection of Minors” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”), which explicitly prohibits minors from participating in live streaming rewards. In response to the lack of responsibility of the main body of some platforms, the hosts of good and bad and rewarding phenomena, the “Opinions” requires that websites and platforms should adhere to the principle of the most conducive to the minors, improve and perfect the mechanism for the protection of minors, the strict implementation of real-name requirements, and prohibit the provision of minors to provide cash recharging, “gift” purchases, online payment and other types of Reward services.

5.3. Government Supervision and Guidance

Government departments should strengthen the supervision of live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms, and seriously deal with platforms that have induced teenagers’ impulsive consumption behaviors. Government departments can introduce relevant policies to guide live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms to actively fulfill their social responsibilities and protect the rights and interests of teenage consumers. Government departments can improve the consumption awareness and self-protection ability of young consumers by carrying out consumer education activities. The State Internet Information Office had released the Regulations on the Internet Protection of Minors (Draft for Opinion). Among other things, article 24 stipulates that, where network products and services contain information that may trigger or induce minors to imitate unsafe acts, commit acts that violate social morality, generate undesirable emotions, or develop undesirable hobbies that may affect the physical and mental health of minors, the organizations and individuals that produce, reproduce, publish, or disseminate the information shall provide a prominent reminder of this before the information is displayed. People are beginning to take the issue seriously and attitudes have changed. From laissez-faire to guidance: In the past, society held a laissez-faire attitude towards the problem of impulsive spending by teenagers on live streaming/online shopping platforms, believing that it was a stage that teenagers needed to go through in their growth process. However, as society pays more attention to teenagers’ mental health and consumerism, more and more people are calling for guidance to help teenagers set up the right consumerism concepts to avoid overspending and impulsive spending. From Neglect to Emphasis: In the past, society had a neglectful attitude towards the problem of impulsive spending by teenagers on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms. However, as the problem has gradually become more prominent, society has begun to pay more attention to it, believing that it is necessary to start from family education, school education, policy regulation, and other aspects to prevent and solve the problem of impulsive consumption by adolescents [13].

6. Conclusion

6.1. Sum Up

This paper has found the following influencing factors and coping strategies through the study of impulsive consumption of adolescents on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms.

Influencing factors: individual factors (age, gender, income level, education level, personality traits, consumption concepts), family factors (family economic situation, consumption concepts, and consumption behaviors of family members), social factors (peer influences, socio-cultural environment, media influences), and factors related to live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms (such as information on commodities, marketing strategies, and consumption atmosphere).

Coping strategies: the roles of parents and school education (strengthening education on consumption concepts, improving consumption judgment and self-control), self-adjustment of live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms (setting up teenager modes, strengthening the review of commodity information, and adding consumption reminder functions), as well as governmental regulation and guidance (strengthening regulation, introducing relevant policies, and carrying out consumption education activities).

6.2. Future Research Directions

Conduct in-depth excavation on the influencing factors of impulsive consumption of teenagers in live broadcasting rooms/online shopping platforms, to propose more targeted coping strategies. To study the impulsive consumption behaviors of teenagers on different types of commodities on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms, to provide more accurate marketing strategies for the platforms [14]. To explore the relationship between teenagers’ impulsive consumption and offline consumption on live broadcasting/online shopping platforms, to provide more comprehensive theoretical support for the overall consumption behavior of teenagers.