Investigating the Impact of Virtual Streamers on the Engagement of Generation Z Consumers

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, virtual streamers have emerged as a new trend in virtual live streaming commerce. However, limited research focuses on the specific characteristics virtual streamers should possess and how these characteristics engage consumers in this context. To address this gap, this study applies computers as social actors theory to examine how virtual streamer attributes (likeability, animacy, intelligence, and responsiveness) affect consumer engagement. Survey data collected from 382 Chinese virtual live streaming commerce consumers were analyzed using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling technique. The results reveal that likeability, intelligence, and responsiveness positively impact consumers' immersion, while animacy does not. The study also found moderating effects of virtual streamer-background congruence and virtual streamer-product congruence on these relationships. These findings contribute to virtual human literature and provide several actional suggestions for practitioners leveraging virtual streamers.