Too pretty to resist? Exploring the impact of virtual influencers’ beauty level on consumer reactions

Advancements in computer-generated imagery technology and style generative adversarial network models have enabled the creation of virtual influencers with captivating and visually appealing attributes. Prior literature has provided substantial insights into how the anthropomorphic design of virtual personas affects consumer perceptions. However, few studies have examined the impact of beauty level on consumer psychology and behaviour. Contrary to conventional wisdom suggesting that greater beauty may significantly heighten perceived threat, this study proposes that virtual influencers with high-beauty traits do not necessarily induce perceived appearance threat. Instead, such traits enhance consumers’ appearance response efficacy, thereby significantly increasing purchase intention and reducing psychological distance. Using four experimental studies, we find strong support for this proposition. Our finding also reveal that appearance-related product functional types moderate this mechanism. Specifically, products with intrinsic aesthetic functions enhance the positive effect of high-beauty traits on purchase intention and psychological distance. These findings underscore that, in the context of virtual influencers, consumers prioritize intrinsic aesthetic appeal over parasomatic considerations. This research adds to the literature concerning virtual influencer marketing effectiveness and offers practical insights into developing and managing virtual influencer marketing strategies.