Rethinking digital entrepreneurship in a digital transformation era: leveraging on brand avatars to boost brand experiences and loyal communities

Purpose This paper delves into the transformative role of brand avatars within the digital transformation landscape, focusing on their capacity to enhance brand experiences and foster dedicated communities. Brand avatars that allow consumers to customize their appearance hold the potential to elevate various brand attributes, including trust, commitment, loyalty and overall business performance. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to gain insights into consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and experiences concerning brand avatars and their influence on brand experiences and community engagement, the study employs quantitative data collection methods, particularly surveys involving consumers. Findings The findings have yield both theoretical and practical implications. They will benefit digital entrepreneurs and brand managers aiming to harness the potential of personalized brand avatars in the digital innovation realm, thereby, contributing to the existing body of knowledge in the fields of brand and innovation management. This study, like any empirical endeavor, has its limitations. One significant constraint lies in the reliance on self-reported survey data, which may introduce response biases and potential overestimation of positive perceptions due to the novelty of brand avatars. Practical implications The research explores how personalized brand avatars, with their visually appealing representations, interactive functionalities and emotional expressions, contribute to enrich the innovation management perspective. Moreover, these avatars play a pivotal role in supporting community development, driving user engagement and facilitating the creation of user-generated content within brand communities. Originality/value This exploration illuminates the role played by brand avatars in shaping contemporary brand–consumer interactions and community dynamics in the digital environment.