ARE YOU GOING TO BUY PRODUCTS ENDORSED BY VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS? THE PERSUASIVENESS OF VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS ON PURCHASE INTENTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.12818.2026Keywords:
Virtual influencers, Informational influence, AI influencers, Source credibility, The theory of planned behavior, Purchase intentionAbstract
With the rapid advancement of AI technology, virtual influencers (VIs) have become increasingly prominent in the digital marketing landscape. Despite their burgeoning capability—akin to human influencers (HIs)—to forge emotional connections with consumers, the specific impact of VIs on purchase intentions remains under-explored. This study investigates the influence of VIs’ perceived credibility, conceptualized as a second-order construct, on consumers’ purchase intentions. Furthermore, it examines the mediating roles of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) components—namely attitude toward VIs, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—within this relationship. Utilizing data collected from an online survey of 527 Chinese participants, the study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for analysis. The results confirm a significant positive correlation between VIs’ perceived credibility and purchase intention, while also validating the critical mediating roles of the aforementioned behavioral factors. These findings offer valuable theoretical and practical insights for both scholars and marketing practitioners.
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