Can Virtual Influencers Drive Online Consumer Behavior? An Applied Examination of ELM Model Investigating the Marketing Effects of Virtual Influencers

With the rapid advancement of social media and AI technologies, influencer marketing has evolved significantly. Virtual influencers have emerged as alternatives to traditional human influencers. Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study examines how virtual influencers’ source credibility dimensions (expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness) affect consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. Using the case of virtual influencer Imma, this study collected 344 valid online survey responses. The empirical results show that, along the central route, perceived product value has a significant and positive effect on purchase intention. Along the peripheral route, the trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise of the virtual influencer all exert significant positive effects on purchase intention. However, product involvement moderates these effects differently: for high-involvement consumers, the effects of trustworthiness and attractiveness on purchase intention are significantly strengthened, while the moderating effects on expertise and perceived value remain non-significant. This study contributes to the emerging literature on virtual influencer marketing by demonstrating how source credibility dimensions and perceived value interact with product involvement to shape consumer responses. Additionally, virtual influencers offer sustainability benefits by minimizing carbon emissions from travel and physical production inherent in traditional influencer campaigns. The findings offer practical implications for marketers: virtual influencers can effectively enhance brand exposure, but their persuasive impact varies by product involvement requiring tailored content strategies for high- versus low-involvement products. Furthermore, future research could extend this work by examining the effects of different product categories and cultural contexts on the effectiveness of virtual influencer marketing.