When virtual influencers cause service failures: The impact of human likeness and beauty types on social psychological distance and consumer intentions

Abstract

This study examines the impact of virtual influencers on consumer responses during service failures. Grounded in construal level theory, we investigate how two appearance characteristics, specifically human-likeness (human-like vs. avatar-like) and beauty type (typical vs. unique), affect social psychological distance and, consequently, coping behavioral intentions following virtual influencer service failures. We also explore the moderating roles of service failure severity and consumer attribution (internal vs. external) in the relationship between social psychological distance and their behavioral intentions. Data were collected from 304 U.S. women in their 20s and 30s. Results confirmed that human-like virtual influencers with typical beauty reduce social psychological distance, prompting greater reconciliation rather than avoidance or revenge after service failures. In contrast, avatar-like virtual influencers with unique beauty increase social psychological distance and foster more adverse behavioral intentions. Moreover, less severe service failures elicit milder consumer responses, including lower avoidance and higher reconciliation intentions, when SPD is lower; however, severe failures intensify adverse reactions, including higher avoidance and lower reconciliation intentions, when SPD is higher. Lastly, consumer attribution, whether they tend to blame internal or external cues, moderates the causal relationships between SPD and those three behavioral intentions as well. These findings suggest that marketers leveraging virtual influencers should develop tailored recovery strategies considering appearance cues of virtual influencers, social psychological distance, service failure severity, and consumers’ attribution tendencies. This research offers actionable guidance for brands featuring virtual influencers and deepens our understanding of digital-era service failures.