The Impact of Virtual Streamer Anthropomorphism on Consumer Purchase Intention: Cognitive Trust as a Mediator

As an important tool for brand promotion and marketing, the status of virtual streamers is gradually improving, especially in the Chinese market with a huge Internet user base. Virtual streamer anthropomorphism has gradually become an important research content in the field of consumer behavior. However, the specific mechanism by which the multidimensional anthropomorphic characteristics of virtual streamers affect consumer trust and purchase intention requires further investigation. Therefore, based on the avatar theory, this research explores how the anthropomorphic characteristics of virtual streamers affect consumer purchase intention through cognitive trust. The analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 24.0, establishing a structural equation model. Through the analysis of questionnaire data from 503 Chinese consumers, it was found that behavioral anthropomorphism, cognitive anthropomorphism, and emotional anthropomorphism all exert a notable influence on cognitive trust. Appearance anthropomorphism and emotional anthropomorphism directly affect purchase intention, and cognitive trust has a significant impact on purchase intention. Moreover, cognitive trust fully mediates the effects of behavioral anthropomorphism and cognitive anthropomorphism on purchase intention and partially mediates the effects of emotional anthropomorphism on purchase intention. This study enriches the application of avatar theory in virtual streamers in live e-commerce and provides theoretical backing for virtual streamer development and enterprise marketing strategies. It also offers practical insights to help brands optimize virtual streamers and improve consumer participation and purchase conversion rates.