电商主播类型对消费者购买行为的影响:AI主播和真人主播

Effect of E-commerce Anchor Types on Consumers′Purchase Behavior:AI Anchors and Human Anchors

AI主播是人工智能技术应用于电商直播领域创造的虚拟数字人主播,可以帮助企业减少人力成本,有效释放真人主播压力,但不同主播类型(AI主播或真人主播)如何影响消费者行为、AI主播能否达到真人主播的直播效果还有待验证。因此,研究不同主播类型下消费者直播购物决策过程对指导商家或平台合理分配AI主播和真人主播资源具有重要的现实意义。聚焦电商直播中的AI主播和真人主播,根据移情理论,考察不同主播类型对消费者购买意愿的影响以及移情的中介作用,并考虑产品类型(搜索型和体验型)的调节作用;基于注意负荷理论,进一步揭示直播过程中不同主播类型对消费者注意力分配的影响机制。运用一个行为实验和两个眼动实验,调查消费者在不同场景下的购买意愿和信息加工过程;采用Process插件和bootstrap分析检验移情的中介作用和产品类型的调节作用,并结合方差分析和广义线性混合模型检验不同主播类型对注意力分配的影响。行为实验结果表明,不同主播类型显著影响消费者购买意愿,其影响过程以移情作为完全中介,且产品类型对该中介过程具有调节作用。相对于体验型产品,AI主播在售卖搜索型产品时具有更高的移情水平,消费者具有更高的购买意愿;但真人主播在两种产品类型下的移情水平和购买意愿没有显著差异。两项眼动实验在证实上述行为结果的基础上,揭示了直播过程中的注意力分配机制,发现不同主播类型影响消费者对不同兴趣区的关注度,且产品类型对注意力分配具有调节作用。研究结果在理论上将电商主播的研究范畴从真人主播扩展到AI主播,并从视觉注意层深化了对电商直播过程中消费者心理认知过程的理解;在实践上,研究结果可以为商家和平台设计直播带货策略、AI主播选择和应用等方面提供借鉴。

AI anchors are virtual digital human anchors created through the application of artificial intelligence technology in the field of e-commerce live streaming.They can help businesses reduce labor costs,increase the number of live broadcasts,and effectively alleviate the pressure on human anchors.However,the impact of different anchor types(AI anchors/human anchors)on consumer behavior and whether AI anchors can achieve the same live broadcast effects as human anchors remain to be verified.Therefore,it is of great practical significance to study the consumers′live shopping decision-making process under different anchor types to guide businesses or platforms to reasonably allocate the resources of AI anchors and human anchors.Focusing on AI anchors and human anchors in e-commerce live streaming,and based on the empathy theory,this study investigates the effect of different anchor types on consumers′purchase intention,the mediating effect of empathy,and the moderating role of product types(search-oriented type and experience-oriented type).Moreover,based on attentional load theory,this study further reveals the influence mechanism of different anchor types on consumers′attention allocation during ecommerce live broadcasting.We use a survey and two eye-tracking experiments to investigate consumer purchasing intention and the process of information processing in under different conditions.Process plug-in and bootstrap analysis were used to investigate the mediating effect of empathy and the moderating effect of product types,with variance analysis and generalized linear mixed model used to examine the effect of different anchor types on consumer attention allocation.The results of the behavioral experiments show that different anchor types significantly affect consumers′purchase intention,that the influence process is fully mediated by empathy,and product type(search-oriented/experience-oriented)has a moderating effect on this mediation process.Specifically,compared with experience-oriented products,AI anchors have a higher level of empathy when selling search-oriented products,and consumers have a higher purchase intention.However,there was no significant difference in empathy and consumer purchase intention between search-oriented products and experience-oriented products of human anchors.Furthermore,two eye-tracking experiments confirm these behavioral results and reveal the attentional allocation during e-commerce live streaming.Different anchors affect consumer attentional allocation to different interest areas,and that product type has a moderating effect on attentional allocation.The study results theoretically expand the study scope of anchor types in the field of e-commerce live streaming from human anchors to AI anchors,and deepen the understanding of consumers′psychological cognitive processes from the visual attention perspective during e-commerce live streaming.In practice,the findings can provide specific reference for businesses and platforms to design a suitable live delivery strategy and optimize the selection and application of AI anchors.