An Exploration of the Influencing Factors of Virtual Influencers on Consumers' Purchase Intentions

Introduction: In the developing landscape of digital marketing, virtual influencers’ (VIs) computer-generated features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers. As these digital personas gain traction on social media platforms, their potential to influence consumer behavior, particularly purchase intention (PI), is becoming increasingly relevant. Despite their growing popularity, there remains limited empirical research on the factors that drive consumer responses to VIs. Objective: This research explores the key attributes of Vis such as credibility, informative value (IV), human-likeness (HL), attractiveness, and entertainment value that influence consumer engagement (CE), and PI. Method: Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 523 social media users who had prior exposure to VIs. The data was examined using a structural equation model (SEM) and statistical methods, including Reliability analysis, Descriptive statistics, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Result: The results from the SEM revealed that perceived credibility (PC) (β = 0.41, p