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This study explores the effects of virtual streamer characteristics, virtual scene characteristics and streamer image-scene fit on users’ watching intention from the perspective of flow experience.

The survey data for this study were collected from the QQ fan group of virtual streamers between November 26th 2022 and December 5th 2022. The authors survey 274 viewers who have experience of watching virtual streaming and employ the partial least squares structural equation model to test the research hypotheses.

Among the characteristics of virtual streamers, interactivity significantly influences users’ perceived enjoyment and concentration, while vividness only affects perceived enjoyment. In addition, the novelty of the virtual scene has a notable impact on users’ perceived enjoyment and concentration, whereas aesthetic appeal serves as an important indicator solely for concentration. Furthermore, the virtual streamer image-scene fit also affects users’ perceived enjoyment and concentration. Finally, perceived enjoyment and concentration equally contribute to users' watching intention.

This study explores the impact of virtual streamer characteristics, virtual scene characteristics and streamer image-scene fit on users’ watching intention, which enriches the research on user behavioral intention in virtual streaming. Additionally, this study attempts to combine the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model and flow theory in the field of virtual streaming, expanding the research areas. Finally, this study also provides valuable insights for virtual streamers and virtual streaming platforms. By enhancing their virtual personas and optimizing their streaming strategies, virtual streamers can more effectively retain users and maintain audience engagement. Meanwhile, virtual streaming platforms can gain a deeper understanding of user preferences, enabling them to launch high-quality events that sustain user popularity. These efforts collectively contribute to the advancement of the virtual streaming industry.

Despite widespread use of virtual streamers, academic research on this subject remains limited. This study aims to explore the mechanisms by which consumer perceptions of virtual streamers influence consumer purchase intentions.

We used partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze validated online survey data from 414 consumers watching virtual streamers.

Consumer perceptions of virtual streamers (perceived competence, perceived interaction quality and perceived warmth) promote the establishment of transactional psychological contract and relational psychological contract between consumers and virtual streamers, which further affects consumers’ purchase intention.

This study enriches the research on virtual streamers, facilitates their adoption and introduces the psychological contract into a new research context by revealing the formation of the psychological contract from the perspective of virtual streamers. Moreover, this study provides a new understanding of the relationship between disembodied artificial intelligence and consumers.

Digitally driven virtual streamers are increasingly utilized in live-streaming commerce, possessing distinct advantages compared to human streamers. However, the applicable scenarios of virtual streamers are still unclear. Focusing on product attribute variances, this paper compares the livestreaming effects of virtual and human streamers to clarify the applicable scenarios for each and assist companies in strategically choosing suitable streamers.

We conducted four experiments utilizing both images and video as stimulus materials, and each experiment employed different products. To test the proposed model, a total of 1,068 valid participants were recruited, encompassing a diverse group of individuals, including undergraduates and employed workers.

The results indicate no significant difference between virtual and human streamers in increasing consumers’ purchase intention for utilitarian products. In contrast, human streamers are more effective in enhancing consumer purchase intention for hedonic products, with a mediating role of mental imagery quality. Consumers’ implicit personality variances also influence their willingness to accept virtual streamers.

This paper is the first to compare the effects of virtual and human streamers in promoting different products to enhance our comprehension of virtual streamers. Given the potential risks associated with human streamers, a comprehensive understanding of the role of virtual streamers is imperative for brands when deploying live-streaming commerce activities.

The study aims to investigate how artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual streamers can supercharge brands in live-streaming virtual commerce (v-commerce). Built upon social identity theory (SIT) and experiential value theory, we developed a framework to investigate the impact of AI-powered virtual streamers’ personalization and human-like personalities and live-streaming v-commerce’s system quality and content quality on brand image, mediated by parasocial interaction and experiential value.

A survey was designed and distributed to the target respondents via social media channels. SmartPLS version 4.0.9.4 was used to analyze a total of 354 responses after the data were obtained via purposive sampling.

The results show that personalization, human-like personality, system quality and content quality are positively associated with parasocial interaction and experiential value, which subsequently impact brand image.

This study addresses the gap of relatively sparse academic literature on the implications of AI-powered virtual streamers in live-streaming v-commerce on brand image.

The rise of virtual streamers in live streaming commerce has gained momentum, driven by the increasing prevalence of human–computer interactivity and artificial intelligence. However, achieving its broader adoption necessitates a comprehensive understanding of consumers' intention to switch from conventional human streamers to virtual streamer services as alternatives. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study endeavours to introduce and substantiate an asymmetric model incorporating innovation barriers, shopping motivations and personalities, shedding light on consumers' intention to switch.

An online survey was conducted in the United Kingdom and analysed using a comprehensive approach that integrates Necessary Conditions Analysis (NCA), Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA).

The results unveiled six configurations of arrangements, each of them characterised by a unique combination of causation.

In knowledge, this study presents a significant contribution by revealing both the determinants that stimulate or hamper the desire to switch based on consumer-centric perspectives. In practice, this study is critical for helping practitioners overcome difficulties related to adoption and make educated judgements when promoting virtual streamers and developing marketing strategies in live streaming commerce.

The objective of this study was to examine how high-social and low-social virtual live streamers affect consumers' experiential value (utilitarian value and hedonic value) and the mechanism and boundary conditions behind the effect.

The research consisted of four laboratory experiments.

The results showed that socialness has a positive significant effect on experiential value. Social presence mediated the effect of socialness on utilitarian value and hedonic value. In the relationship between socialness and experiential value, the moderating effects of communication style and situation were significant.

This study provides managerial implications for online stores about the use of virtual live streamers.

The finding of this paper extends the literature on virtual humans or avatars, enriches the literature on the characteristics of virtual humans and tests the explanatory power of social response theory.

The purpose of this research is to explore the nature of virtual tipping in live game streaming from the perspective of tippers.

This qualitative research involved six naturalistic group interviews with 27 young adult game streaming tippers in China.

The research revealed a typology of four virtual tipping exchanges – perfunctory exchange, transactional (commodity) exchange, relational (gift) exchange and hybrid exchange. The most notable finding is hybrid exchange, a synergistic hybrid of transaction and gift-giving.

The authors recommend that both streamers and streaming platforms acknowledge and accommodate both transactional and relational tipping motivations. The authors also recommend platforms to recruit skillful streamers with high emotional intelligence to better convert perfunctory tippers into tippers who tip more generously.

The result of hybrid exchange suggests going beyond the traditional commodity vs gift dichotomy to examine the potential market-gift complementary in a single exchange in the sharing economy.

Digital live streaming applications, combined with the broadcasting of cross-modal, video-mediated communication in the social networking community, have grown in popularity in recent years. A theoretical gap exists regarding a comprehensive framework that explains hardcore viewer engagement through the social exchanges in digital live streaming communities. Traditional viewers engaged with a single-dimensional focal object, but nowadays, viewers interact with multidimensional and multiobjects through the social exchanges (e.g. virtual gifts, emotional supports) in live streaming digital communities. This study aims to address this void in the marketing literature of hardcore viewer engagement under dynamic social exchanges in digital live streaming communities.

This research used a qualitative approach. The data collections were from October 2018 to January 2020. Data were collected in semistructured interviews with 17 Media 21 hardcore viewers.

The outcomes of hardcore viewer engagement and social exchange include three main stages: introduction, immersion and enthusiasm. It indicates that loyalty and active hardcore viewer–streamer relationships were fostered through the process of hardcore viewer engagement and social exchange with multiple objects and dimensions.

There are three main implications to the literature in this study. First, this empirical study extends the concept of consumer engagement to hardcore viewer engagement, and social exchange is found to trigger social behavior and relations in a digital live streaming community. Second, it contributes to the social media community literature. Hardcore viewer engagement provides a broad dimensional scope to examine digital live streaming community participation by integrating the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects. Finally, it contributes to the literature of social exchange theory. It indicates that the extension of hardcore viewer–streamer social relationships is not restricted to traditional mass media but can be fostered in digital live streaming communities.

It contributes to the consumer engagement literature by exploring in depth viewer engagement dimensionality in a rich digital live streaming context. This study proposed a framework for understanding the stages and outcomes of viewer engagement and parasocial interactions according to three dimensions and multiple objects, which lacked empirical validation in previous studies.

This study also contributes to the social media community literature. In capturing the functions of such groups, the variables of interest were “participation,” “involvement” and “membership.” These variables were determined through behavioral actions or intentions. In contrast, viewer engagement provided a broad dimensional scope to examine digital live streaming community participation by integrating the cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects.

The findings of this study indicate that the extension of parasocial relationships is not restricted to traditional mass media but can be fostered in digital live streaming communities that are designed to bring the viewer close to streamer(s), community members and system functions and activities. Although digital live streaming applications differ from traditional parasocial interaction environments because they offer direct, instantaneous, multiple communication among streamer(s), system functions and community members, the findings of the present study indicate that viewer–streamer–viewer parasocial relationships established both online and offline are often interwoven.

Cultivating loyal customers is a pressing concern for streamers. The present study investigates how to build interpersonal relationships with streamers and whether different interpersonal relationship factors lead to repurchase intention and WOM intention in live streaming commerce. The moderating effect of gender is also examined.

A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 429 live streaming commerce users in mainland China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses.

The results indicate that all four streamer attributes (expertise, authenticity, attractiveness, and homophily) have a positive influence on swift guanxi, and swift guanxi is effective in predicting both calculative commitment and affective commitment. In addition, all interpersonal relationship factors (swift guanxi, calculative commitment, and affective commitment) significantly affect repurchase intentions, with only affective commitment being linked to WOM intention. Also, the moderating role of gender was confirmed in expertise – swift guanxi, attractiveness – swift guanxi, cognitive commitment – repurchase intention and affective commitment – repurchase intention linkages.

This paper contributes to the live streaming commerce literature by integrating swift guanxi, calculative commitment, and affective commitment to understand the repurchase intention and WOM intention from the relationship-building process perspective. In addition, this paper enriches the source credibility and source attractiveness models by identifying gender boundaries on the effectiveness of these models in predicting swift guanxi.

The purpose of this study is to use the grounded theory to summarize the types of celebrity persona and to construct a theoretical model for celebrity persona on consumer purchase intention. Based on the study results, it provides better suggestions for merchants and live streamers and is an expansion of previous research on live-streaming e-commerce.

The grounded theory is recognized as the most scientific qualitative research method and is the ideal explorative method for generating theory. First, the participants were interviewed, and interview data were collected. Then the interview data were organized and analyzed. Finally, this paper summarizes the types of celebrity persona and constructes a theoretical model framework of celebrity persona on consumers' purchase intention.

The results show that the celebrity live streamer persona can be divided into two types: personalized persona and professional persona. Through emotional attachment, the celebrity's persona affects the consumer's purchase intentions. As well as, product type plays a moderating role between celebrity persona and consumer purchase intentions.

The contribution of this research is to start from the celebrity persona, link the celebrity persona with the consumer purchase intentions and expand the research scope of the celebrity persona. It opens the “black box” of the heterogeneity of celebrity live streamers' characteristics on consumer purchase intentions.