The Effects of Virtual Influencers’ Characteristics on Impulse Buying, Relationship Quality, and Customer Delight

This study explores the potential of virtual influencers as a viable alternative to mitigate risks associated with information sources in advertising. The characteristics of virtual influencers were categorized into five dimensions: attractiveness, expertise, authenticity, interactivity, and anthropomorphism. The study empirically examined how these characteristics influence consumer behaviors, specifically impulse buying, relationship quality, and customer delight. A survey was conducted over a period of approximately 10 days, targeting consumers who had previously encountered advertisements featuring virtual influencers on social media. After removing outliers, 330 valid responses were used for the final analysis. The hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), and the key findings are as follows: First, among the characteristics of virtual influencers, attractiveness, authenticity, and interactivity had significant effects on impulse buying. Second, attractiveness, authenticity, interactivity, and anthropomorphism were found to significantly influence relationship quality. Third, both impulse buying and relationship quality had significant effects on customer delight. This study makes a theoretical contribution by empirically verifying the differentiated effects of each virtual influencer characteristic on consumer behavior. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that marketing strategies involving virtual influencers should focus on enhancing external attractiveness, creating authentic content, and fostering active interactions with followers to increase purchase conversion. Furthermore, to build long-term customer relationships, it is important to strengthen anthropomorphic elements in virtual influencers.