["Journal of Consumer Affairs, Volume 60, Issue 2, Summer 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study applied the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory to investigate how customer characteristics and IT availability affect consumers' purchase intentions, and investigated the effects of consumer factors (loneliness, real‐life avoidance, empathy, and interactivity) and technological factors (visual, meta‐acoustic, and guided) on social presence. Data from a survey of 465 Chinese live e‐commerce viewers were analyzed using partial least squares SEM modeling (PLS‐SEM) and analysis (fsQCA). The study's findings demonstrated that consumers with real‐life avoidance, empathic ability, and interactivity traits experience social presence, and that guided purchasing in the presence of IT availability facilitates social presence. Additionally, social presence mediates these three types of consumers and guides purchase intentions. We provide 12 setups that result in high purchase intention based on these findings. As a result, our research makes a significant addition to the understanding and use of live e‐commerce in online buying.\n"]