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The Power of Virtual Influencers: Impact on Consumer Behaviour and Attitudes in the Age of AI

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Gerlich

    (Management Department, SBS Swiss Business School, Flughafenstrasse 3, Kloten, CH-8302 Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

In recent years, a new type of influencer has emerged in the field of social media marketing: virtual influencers. Though it is spreading fast, the trend is still new and, therefore, limited research has been conducted on the topic. This study aims to investigate the impact of virtual influencers on customers and whether there is a direct impact on human influencers due to the rise of virtual influencers in the industry. The study employed a questionnaire-based survey method to collect and analyse responses from a sample of 357 participants. The questions focus on trust, credibility, expertise, and contribution to purchase intention by the virtual influencers. The results indicate that customers are increasingly attracted to virtual influencers and that virtual influences are perceived as more trustworthy, credible, and relevant to customers’ preferences, leading to an increase in purchase intention. The study also discusses the implications of these findings for managers designing marketing campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Gerlich, 2023. "The Power of Virtual Influencers: Impact on Consumer Behaviour and Attitudes in the Age of AI," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:13:y:2023:i:8:p:178-:d:1209158
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alboqami, Hassan, 2023. "Trust me, I'm an influencer! - Causal recipes for customer trust in artificial intelligence influencers in the retail industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    2. McCormick, Karla, 2016. "Celebrity endorsements: Influence of a product-endorser match on Millennials attitudes and purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 39-45.
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    Cited by:

    1. Deng, Fengyi & Tuo, Muyuan & Chen, Si & Zhang, Zichen, 2024. "Born for marketing? The effects of virtual versus human influencers on brand endorsement effectiveness: The role of advertising recognition," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Joel-Edgar, Sian & Chowdhury, Soumyadeb & Nagy, Peter & Ren, Shuang, 2025. "Virtual influencers in social media versus the metaverse: Mind Perception, blame judgements and brand trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    3. Yan, Ji & Xia, Senmao & Jiang, Amanda & Lin, Zhibin, 2024. "The effect of different types of virtual influencers on consumers’ emotional attachment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Kim, Inhwa & Ki, Chung-Wha & Lee, Hyunhwan & Kim, Youn-Kyung, 2024. "Virtual influencer marketing: Evaluating the influence of virtual influencers’ form realism and behavioral realism on consumer ambivalence and marketing performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    5. Franke, Claudia & Groeppel-Klein, Andrea, 2024. "The role of psychological distance and construal level in explaining the effectiveness of human-like vs. cartoon-like virtual influencers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    6. Michael Gerlich, 2025. "AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking," Societies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-28, January.
    7. Rehman, Anisur & Kumar, Sushant & Salam, Muhammad Asif & Virmani, Naveen, 2025. "How does AI-powered virtual influencer's anthropomorphism impact trust and brand love? The moderating role of opinion leadership," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).

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