The Influence of Avatars on Online Consumer Shopping Behavior
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In the October 2006 issue of JM, Martin Holzwarth, Chris Janiszewski, and Marcus Neumann present fascinating insights about the potential influence of avatars on consumers’ online shopping behavior. They assert that avatars (virtual characters, whose graphic representations are personified by computer technology) may contribute an interpersonal dimension to the usually impersonal Web shopping experience. In the process, avatars may also make shopping more enjoyable for consumers.
An avatar, for example, could be presented as a company representative. In Study 1, Holzwarth, Janiszewksi, and Neumann suggest that an avatar sales agent generates numerous desirable marketing outcomes. In Study 2, they indicate that an attractive avatar is appropriate at moderate levels of product involvement, while an expert avatar is effective at high levels of product involvement.
In my view, this interesting study stimulates several questions for future research. For example, given the increasing trend toward personalization/customization, consumers may prefer personalized versions of avatars. Indeed, in a recent cover story in BusinessWeek, Rob Hof characterizes avatars in the online game Second Life as human-like virtual beings created by game players. He further states that avatars “can be modified in such detail—different hair, eyes, body type, even clothes—that each one is unique, sometimes bizarre. You see the game from the perspective of your avatar….” In addition to formally comparing the effectiveness of a Web site with an avatar with that of a Web site without an avatar (as Holzwarth, Janiszewksi, and Neumann suggest), future researchers should explore whether recipient-personalized avatars are more adept at persuasion than generic, “one-size-fits-all” avatar versions.
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—Siva K. Balasubramanian
Journal of Marketing Web Site Editor
