The Effect of Virtual Endorser Anthropomorphism on Consumer Attitudes Based on the Mediating Mechanism of Customer Trust

With the rapid development of virtual human generation technologies and the continuous expansion of digital marketing scenarios, virtual endorsers are increasingly becoming an essential source of information in modern brand communication and dynamic consumer interaction. Focusing specifically on how the anthropomorphic design of these virtual endorsers systematically influences consumer attitudes, this paper draws comprehensively on anthropomorphism theory, social response theory, and the established stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. By integrating these theoretical perspectives, we construct a robust research model linking virtual endorser anthropomorphism, customer trust, and consumer attitudes, while introducing product type as a critical boundary condition. The current study adopts a rigorous scenario-based experimental design, systematically combining high versus low anthropomorphism conditions with hedonic versus utilitarian product categories. We subsequently analyze the collected empirical data using validated customer trust and consumer attitude measurement scales. The statistical results demonstrate that highly anthropomorphic virtual endorsers can significantly enhance consumers' underlying trust in merchants, which in turn further improves positive consumer attitudes. Crucially, customer trust plays a significant mediating role in the complex effect of anthropomorphism on consumer attitudes. Furthermore, the positive impact of anthropomorphic cues is demonstrably stronger in hedonic product contexts compared to utilitarian product contexts. Ultimately, these findings suggest that humanlike cues in virtual endorsers are not merely a superficial form of visual packaging; rather, they actively shape consumers' overall evaluations of brands through the fundamental mechanism of trust formation.