<p>Results of moderation analysis.</p>

With the rapid growth of e-commerce live streaming and the increasing dominance of younger consumers, how these brands can effectively engage youth segments and enhance brand identification has become a critical issue. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework and brand authenticity theory, this study examines the mechanisms through which product interaction and interpersonal interaction influence young consumers’ identification with time-honored brands in live-streaming contexts.

Data were collected from 415 consumers aged 18–40 who had watched live-streaming sessions of time-honored brands, and the proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that product interaction and interpersonal interaction were positively associated with social presence and perceived brand authenticity. Both social presence and perceived brand authenticity were positively associated with emotional arousal, which was in turn associated with brand identification.