Real-time interaction
Description
Real-time interaction with virtual influencers is the degree to which information sharing occurs instantly (without first being recorded and stored) between the user and virtual influencer. Live streaming during COVID-19 empowered the government, businesses, education, and the health sector to continue their operation and share information between different sectors. There remains a gap in the literature to empirically examine the role of real-time interaction and information sharing in the relationship between a) trust in the product, b) trust in virtual influencer c) continuance in following influencer and online purchase intention. Building upon celebrity endorsement and interaction ritual chain theory, we developed a theoretical model to understand how the real-time interaction and information sharing between the virtual influencer impacts users purchase intention. The conceptual framework was validated using convenience sampling technique using 376 Chinese consumers to measure structural models. The result showed that real-time interaction moderates the relationship between trust in product and trust in virtual influencer; simultaneously, information sharing mediates the relationship between virtual influencer characteristics and trust in a) product, b) virtual influencer and c) continuance in following the influencer. The current study highlights the importance of virtual influencers’ information sharing and real-time interaction as contributors to online purchases.