The influence of virtual streamer on purchase intention: The moderated mediating effect of message strategy and live-streaming environment

Abstract

In the realm of live-streaming, virtual streamers represent a significant area of industry expansion. Despite the widespread adoption of both human-backed and AI-backed virtual streamers in marketing campaigns, the differential effects of these two types remain underexplored. Through three experimental studies, this research systematically examines how virtual streamer types (AI-backed vs. human-backed) influence purchase intention, while elucidating the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. The findings demonstrate three key insights: First, human-backed virtual streamers exert significantly stronger impacts on purchase intention compared to their AI counterparts, with perceived usefulness serving as the critical mediator. Second, a two-sided message strategy outperforms positive unilateral messaging in amplifying virtual streamers’ effectiveness via enhanced perceived usefulness. Third, the live-streaming environment moderates this mechanism differentially: human-backed streamers prove more effective in real-life environments, whereas AI-backed streamers show superior performance in virtual environments. Both effects operate through the pathway of perceived usefulness. This study advances theoretical understanding of virtual streamer efficacy while providing actionable guidelines for businesses to optimize streamer selection strategies.