Is virtual streamer useful? Effect of streamer type on consumer brand forgiveness when streamers make inappropriate remarks

Xie, Jifei; Wu, Haoyu; Liu, Kexi; Cui, Yunce; Zhang, Xiaofei

doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103899

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103899

|View full text |Cite

Is virtual streamer useful? Effect of streamer type on consumer brand forgiveness when streamers make inappropriate remarks

Jifei Xie,

Haoyu Wu,

Kexi Liu

et al.

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

2025

Publication Types

Select...

Article5

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent5

Authors

Journals

Cited by 8 publications

References 74 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Avatar effect of AI‐enabled virtual streamers on consumer purchase intention in e‐commerce livestreaming

Sun,

Tang

2024

J of Consumer Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, digital avatars employed as virtual streamers are experiencing a surge in popularity in e‐commerce livestreaming. However, the influence of the avatars' anthropomorphic features on their effectiveness as virtual streamers remains unclear. This study investigates the avatar effect of artificial intelligence‐enabled virtual streamers, wherein their form and behavioral realism interactively affect consumer purchase intention. Three lab experiments with 604 participants were conducted to test this effect and its underlying mechanism and boundary conditions. Based on the findings, behavioral realism positively affects consumer purchase intention only when the virtual streamers' form realism is low. Parasocial interactions underpin this avatar effect, which only holds when consumers exhibit a communal relationship norm orientation. When consumers possess an exchange relationship norm orientation, the effect of behavioral realism becomes positive regardless of the level of form realism. Overall, our study proposes an avatar effect in livestreaming, and extends the literature by offering insights on the interactive effect of the anthropomorphic features of human‐like avatars (as virtual streamers) on the effectiveness of e‐commerce livestreaming. By revealing the mechanisms and boundary conditions of this effect, our conclusions offer guidance for companies in developing appropriate combinations of form and behavioral realism for the avatars of virtual streams while considering consumer characteristics.

show abstract

Avatar effect of AI‐enabled virtual streamers on consumer purchase intention in e‐commerce livestreaming

Sun,

Tang

2024

J of Consumer Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

How cool virtual streamer influences customer in live-streaming commerce? An explanation of stereotype content model

Gao,

Jiang,

Guo

2025

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Can virtual streamers express emotions? Understanding the language style of virtual streamers in livestreaming e-commerce

Gong,

Sun

2025

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Is virtual streamer useful? Effect of streamer type on consumer brand forgiveness when streamers make inappropriate remarks

Cited by 8 publications

References 74 publications

Avatar effect of AI‐enabled virtual streamers on consumer purchase intention in e‐commerce livestreaming

Avatar effect of AI‐enabled virtual streamers on consumer purchase intention in e‐commerce livestreaming

How cool virtual streamer influences customer in live-streaming commerce? An explanation of stereotype content model

Can virtual streamers express emotions? Understanding the language style of virtual streamers in livestreaming e-commerce

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About