Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers
One key factor that enhances the customer experience in retail settings is the presence of sales staff. However, in e-commerce environments where human sales staff are absent, it is unclear how an avatar-like assistant might impact customer satisfaction with the shopping experience. Prior research d...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Japanese |
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Japan Marketing Academy
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Maketingu Janaru |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/marketing/45/2/45_2025.016/_html/-char/en |
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| _version_ | 1849391513971195904 |
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| author | Mayuko Nishii |
| author_facet | Mayuko Nishii |
| author_sort | Mayuko Nishii |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | One key factor that enhances the customer experience in retail settings is the presence of sales staff. However, in e-commerce environments where human sales staff are absent, it is unclear how an avatar-like assistant might impact customer satisfaction with the shopping experience. Prior research demonstrates how anthropomorphic avatars can enhance consumers’ purchasing intentions and attitudes toward products in online environments such as online shopping sites. However, it is unclear how the presence of avatars affects customer experience satisfaction throughout the purchasing process through which consumers visit e-commerce sites. Some studies have revealed that consumers feel a sense of interference when interference manifests in their online shopping experiences. Therefore, depending on the context and personal characteristics of consumers, the presence of avatars may be beneficial. This study conducted two experiments on a simulated online shopping site to examine customer experiences. The results suggest that the evaluation of an avatar’s presence varies depending on the stage of the purchasing process. Furthermore, it was found that for consumers with a high level of loneliness, higher frequencies of avatar appearances enhance customer satisfaction, whereas for consumers with a low level of loneliness, lower frequencies of avatar appearances lead to greater satisfaction. These findings may be beneficial for designing customer journeys to enhance satisfaction in e-commerce shopping experiences. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4db1af0b6fa43b2a6800d9bb083f650 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0389-7265 2188-1669 |
| language | Japanese |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Japan Marketing Academy |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Maketingu Janaru |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4db1af0b6fa43b2a6800d9bb083f6502025-08-20T03:41:03ZjpnJapan Marketing AcademyMaketingu Janaru0389-72652188-16692025-02-0145212413110.7222/marketing.2025.016marketingTailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce ShoppersMayuko Nishii0Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama Gakuin University, JapanOne key factor that enhances the customer experience in retail settings is the presence of sales staff. However, in e-commerce environments where human sales staff are absent, it is unclear how an avatar-like assistant might impact customer satisfaction with the shopping experience. Prior research demonstrates how anthropomorphic avatars can enhance consumers’ purchasing intentions and attitudes toward products in online environments such as online shopping sites. However, it is unclear how the presence of avatars affects customer experience satisfaction throughout the purchasing process through which consumers visit e-commerce sites. Some studies have revealed that consumers feel a sense of interference when interference manifests in their online shopping experiences. Therefore, depending on the context and personal characteristics of consumers, the presence of avatars may be beneficial. This study conducted two experiments on a simulated online shopping site to examine customer experiences. The results suggest that the evaluation of an avatar’s presence varies depending on the stage of the purchasing process. Furthermore, it was found that for consumers with a high level of loneliness, higher frequencies of avatar appearances enhance customer satisfaction, whereas for consumers with a low level of loneliness, lower frequencies of avatar appearances lead to greater satisfaction. These findings may be beneficial for designing customer journeys to enhance satisfaction in e-commerce shopping experiences.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/marketing/45/2/45_2025.016/_html/-char/encustomer journeyanthropomorphismcustomer experience (cx)lonelinesse-commerce |
| spellingShingle | Mayuko Nishii Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers Maketingu Janaru customer journey anthropomorphism customer experience (cx) loneliness e-commerce |
| title | Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers |
| title_full | Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers |
| title_fullStr | Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers |
| title_short | Tailored Avatar Presence Increases Satisfaction for Lonely E-commerce Shoppers |
| title_sort | tailored avatar presence increases satisfaction for lonely e commerce shoppers |
| topic | customer journey anthropomorphism customer experience (cx) loneliness e-commerce |
| url | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/marketing/45/2/45_2025.016/_html/-char/en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mayukonishii tailoredavatarpresenceincreasessatisfactionforlonelyecommerceshoppers |