Ian Mull, Jamie Wyss, Eunjung Moon and Seung-Eun Lee
The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perceptions of using different types of 3D animated avatars as salespeople based on credibility, homophily, attractiveness and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perceptions of using different types of 3D animated avatars as salespeople based on credibility, homophily, attractiveness and intention to interact.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a survey method, participants (n=120) evaluated four types of 3D animated avatars (i.e. human, fantasy, animal and humanoid) based on the supposition the avatars would represent a salesperson for an online retailer.
Findings
The results show that avatar type has a significant influence on the perception of credibility, homophily, and attractiveness. Furthermore, credibility, homophily, and attractiveness significantly influence the intention to interact with the avatar. Overall, the human avatar was found to be perceived as the most credible, homophilous, attractive and was regarded as the highest in relation to intention to interact.
Originality/value
The practical and theoretical implications are discussed to offer guidance to online retailers, graphic designers, and researchers in the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing 3D animated avatars as salespeople.
Details
Keywords
Miguel Angel Gonzales-Chávez and Natalia Vila-Lopez
The two major purposes of this paper are as follows: first, to identify those appropriate key attributes that a commercial avatar promoting a leisure service must have in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
The two major purposes of this paper are as follows: first, to identify those appropriate key attributes that a commercial avatar promoting a leisure service must have in terms of likeability, expertise, credibility and attractiveness, with the final purpose of stimulating millennials' acceptance (emotions, buying intentions and electronic word of mouth [eWOM]) and second, to compare if men and women expect the same attributes in a successful avatar.
Design/methodology/approach
A three avatar designs were prepared for this experiment. Then, they were presented to the respondents to be evaluated changing the order of appearance for avoiding biases: (attractive/likeable, expert/credible and normal/basic avatars). The participants were recruited using an online procedure. The final sample size was 104 consumers. They provided 302 valid responses about the three different avatars. A restaurant chain Chili's in Peru was used to define this experiment.
Findings
Findings of the study indicated that the design attributes of an avatar and the desired effects were related terms. Second, an expert/credible avatar worked better than an atractive/likeable one and also better than a common avatar, especially among the feminine target.
Originality/value
This paper tries to develop a guide for executives or entrepreneurs immersed in the gastronomic field in Peru, to enable them to make appropriate decisions regarding the definition of an attractive and disruptive web page design with an innovative tool: efficient commercial avatars.