Differences in the Influence of Virtual Influencers on Different Consumer Groups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22399/ijcesen.2118Keywords:
Virtual Influencers, Consumer Groups,, Influence Differences, Brand Recognition, Purchase IntentionAbstract
This paper uses quantitative research methods to explore the differences in the impact of virtual influencers on different consumer groups in the context of technological integration and innovation. The study uses DBSCAN clustering technology to segment consumers and combines social media behavior analysis with purchase records to collect data to identify differences in consumer behavior under the influence of virtual influencers. Consumers’ emotional resonance and brand awareness information about virtual influencers are extracted through sentiment analysis technology. The study finds that there are significant differences in the influence of virtual influencers on different consumer groups, especially in high-potential purchase groups, where the influence of virtual influencers is strong but short-lived. This paper further explores the deep integration of virtual influencer technology with new generation information technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, and emphasizes the importance of such technological integration in enhancing the endogenous and empowering capabilities of virtual influencers. The research results show that technological integration and innovation can not only promote the development of virtual influencers, but also provide new technical support for infrastructure construction, especially in the fields of smart cities and industrial production. This paper provides a new theoretical perspective for the market application of virtual influencers and provides practical support for the application of virtual technology in infrastructure construction.
References
[1] Leung, F. F., Gu, F. F., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). Online influencer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 50(2):226-251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00829-4
[2] Stein, J. P., Linda Breves, P., & Anders, N. (2024). Parasocial interactions with real and virtual influencers: The role of perceived similarity and human-likeness. New Media & Society. 26(6):3433-3453. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221102900
[3] Peukert, C., Pfeiffer, J., Meißner, M., Pfeiffer, T., & Weinhardt, C. (2019). Shopping in virtual reality stores: the influence of immersion on system adoption. Journal of Management Information Systems. 36(3):755-788. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2019.1628889
[4] Huang, C. L., Luo, Y. F., Yang, S. C., Lu, C. M., & Chen, A. S. (2020). Influence of students' learning style, sense of presence, and cognitive load on learning outcomes in an immersive virtual reality learning environment. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 58(3):596-615. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633119867422
[5] Vrontis, D., Makrides, A., Christofi, M., & Thrassou, A. (2021). Social media influencer marketing: A systematic review, integrative framework and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies. 45(4):617-644. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12647
[6] Sands, S., Campbell, C. L., Plangger, K., & Ferraro, C. (2022). Unreal influence: Leveraging AI in influencer marketing. European Journal of Marketing. 56(6):1721-1747. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm-12-2019-0949
[7] Thomas, V. L., & Fowler, K. (2021). Close encounters of the AI kind: Use of AI influencers as brand endorsers. Journal of Advertising. 50(1):11-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2020.1810595
[8] Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020). Navigating the new era of influencer marketing: How to be successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co. California Management Review. 63(1):5-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166
[9] Lu, J., Xiao, X., Xu, Z., Wang, C., Zhang, M., & Zhou, Y. (2022). The potential of virtual tourism in the recovery of tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism. 25(3):441-457. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1959526
[10] Kim, M. J., Lee, C. K., & Jung, T. (2020). Exploring consumer behavior in virtual reality tourism using an extended stimulus-organism-response model. Journal of Travel Research. 59(1):69-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287518818915
[11] Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 48(1):79-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1
[12] Cotter, K. (2019). Playing the visibility game: How digital influencers and algorithms negotiate influence on Instagram. New Media & Society. 21(4):895-913. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818815684
[13] Silva, M. J. D. B., Farias, S. A. D., Grigg, M. K., & Barbosa, M. D. L. D. A. (2020). Online engagement and the role of digital influencers in product endorsement on Instagram. Journal of Relationship Marketing. 19(2):133-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2019.1664872
[14] Kang, H. J., Shin, J. H., & Ponto, K. (2020). How 3D virtual reality stores can shape consumer purchase decisions: The roles of informativeness and playfulness. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 49(1):70-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.07.002
[15] Morrison-Smith, S., & Ruiz, J. (2020). Challenges and barriers in virtual teams: a literature review. SN Applied Sciences. 2(6):1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-2801-5
[16] Mende, M., Scott, M. L., Van Doorn, J., Grewal, D., & Shanks, I. (2019). Service robots rising: How humanoid robots influence service experiences and elicit compensatory consumer responses. Journal of Marketing Research. 56(4):535-556. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718822827
[17] Yung, R., Khoo-Lattimore, C., & Potter, L. E. (2021). Virtual reality and tourism marketing: Conceptualizing a framework on presence, emotion, and intention. Current Issues in Tourism. 24(11):1505-1525. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1820454
[18] Han, D. I. D., Bergs, Y., & Moorhouse, N. (2022). Virtual reality consumer experience escapes: preparing for the metaverse. Virtual Reality. 26(4):1443-1458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-022-00641-7
[19] Chopra, A., Avhad, V., & Jaju, A. S. (2021). Influencer marketing: An exploratory study to identify antecedents of consumer behavior of millennial. Business Perspectives and Research. 9(1):77-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/2278533720923486
[20] Langer, M., König, C. J., & Papathanasiou, M. (2019). Highly automated job interviews: Acceptance under the influence of stakes. International Journal of Selection and Assessment. 27(3):217-234. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12246
[21] Bower, M., DeWitt, D., & Lai, J. W. (2020). Reasons associated with preservice teachers' intention to use immersive virtual reality in education. British Journal of Educational Technology. 51(6):2215-2233. https://doi.org/
[22] Koohang, A., Nord, J. H., Ooi, K. B., Tan, G. W. H., Al-Emran, M., Aw, E. C. X., ... & Wong, L. W. (2023). Shaping the metaverse into reality: a holistic multidisciplinary understanding of opportunities, challenges, and avenues for future investigation. Journal of Computer Information Systems. 63(3):735-765. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2023.2165197
[23] El-Said, O., & Aziz, H. (2022). Virtual tours a means to an end: An analysis of virtual tours' role in tourism recovery post COVID-19. Journal of Travel Research. 61(3):528-548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287521997567
[24] Leung, F. F., Gu, F. F., Li, Y., Zhang, J. Z., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). Influencer marketing effectiveness. Journal of Marketing. 86(6):93-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429221102889
[25] Ye, G., Hudders, L., De Jans, S., & De Veirman, M. (2021). The value of influencer marketing for business: A bibliometric analysis and managerial implications. Journal of Advertising. 50(2):160-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2020.1857888
[26] Jin, S. V., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 37(5):567-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/mip-09-2018-0375
[27] Liu, C., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, J. (2020). The impact of self-congruity and virtual interactivity on online celebrity brand equity and fans' purchase intention. Journal of Product & Brand Management. 29(6):783-801. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-11-2018-2106
[28] Hernández Urrego, S. C. (2019). A virtual learning object (VLO) to promote reading strategies in an english for specific purposes environment. How. 26(2):106-122. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.26.2.517
[29] Al-Emadi, F. A., & Yahia, I. B. (2020). Ordinary celebrities related criteria to harvest fame and influence on social media. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. 14(2):195-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-02-2018-0031
[30] Yarberry, S., & Sims, C. (2021). The impact of COVID-19-prompted virtual/remote work environments on employees' career development: Social learning theory, belongingness, and self-empowerment. Advances in Developing Human Resources. 23(3):237-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/15234223211017850
[31] Navarro, J. L., & Tudge, J. R. (2023). Technologizing Bronfenbrenner: neo-ecological theory. Current Psychology. 42(22):19338-19354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02738-3
[32] Raghuram, S., Hill, N. S., Gibbs, J. L., & Maruping, L. M. (2019). Virtual work: Bridging research clusters. Academy of Management Annals. 13(1):308-341. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0020
[33] Poturak, M., & Softic, S. (2019). Influence of social media content on consumer purchase intention: Mediation effect of brand equity. Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics. 12(23):17-43. https://doi.org/10.17015/ejbe.2019.023.02
[34] Zulfiqar, S., Sarwar, B., Aziz, S., Ejaz Chandia, K., & Khan, M. K. (2019). An analysis of influence of business simulation games on business school students' attitude and intention toward entrepreneurial activities. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 57(1):106-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117746746
[35] Hermes, S., Riasanow, T., Clemons, E. K., Böhm, M., & Krcmar, H. (2020). The digital transformation of the healthcare industry: exploring the rise of emerging platform ecosystems and their influence on the role of patients. Business Research. 13(3):1033-1069. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-020-00125-x
[36] Miao, F., Kozlenkova, I. V., Wang, H., Xie, T., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). An emerging theory of avatar marketing. Journal of Marketing. 86(1):67-90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242921996646
[37] Nordbäck, E. S., & Espinosa, J. A. (2019). Effective coordination of shared leadership in global virtual teams. Journal of Management Information Systems. 36(1):321-350. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2018.1558943
[38] Beck, J., Rainoldi, M., & Egger, R. (2019). Virtual reality in tourism: a state-of-the-art review. Tourism Review. 74(3):586-612. https://doi.org/10.1108/tr-03-2017-0049
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
