虚拟主播对消费者购买行为的影响

The Impact of Virtual Anchors on Consumer Purchase Behavior

随着生成式人工智能(AIGC)的发展,由人工智能技术驱动的虚拟主播正在迅速走红并极大地赋能电商直播。但是,目前学术界对于虚拟主播的研究还处于起步阶段,对于虚拟主播是否能给品牌带来商业价值还没有结论。本研究获取了国内某一化妆品品牌的官方旗舰店的直播数据,采用双重差分模型实证检验了虚拟主播对消费者在线购买行为的影响,进而揭示虚拟主播的商业价值。研究结果表明,引入虚拟主播能显著提升消费者购买行为。同时,相比于普通产品,虚拟主播更能提升消费者对于热销产品的购买。研究结果为在线品牌和零售商使用虚拟主播提供了一定的理论依据。

With the development of Generative AI (AIGC), AI-driven virtual anchors are rapidly gaining popularity and significantly empowering live-streaming e-commerce. However, academic research on virtual anchors is still in its nascent stage, and there is no conclusive evidence regarding whether virtual anchors can bring commercial value to brands. Through collecting live-streaming data from a Chinese cosmetics brand and employing a difference-in-differences model, this study investigated the impact of virtual anchors on consumers’ online purchasing behavior, thereby unveiling the commercial value of virtual anchors. The results of the study indicate that the introduction of virtual anchors significantly enhances consumer purchasing behavior. Furthermore, compared to common products, virtual anchors are more effective in increasing consumer purchases of popular products. These findings provide practical recommendations and theoretical foundations for online brands and retailers utilizing virtual anchors.