How language arousal affects purchase intentions in online retailing? The role of virtual versus human influencers, language typicality, and trust

Abstract

Despite the growing popularity of adopting various language strategies to boost business in online retailing and livestreaming, the effectiveness of such strategies employed by different (virtual vs. human) influencers is still unclear. This work examines how language arousal (high vs. low) interacts with influencer type (virtual vs. human) to impact consumer responses. With two scenario-based experiments, this research demonstrates that for virtual influencers, using high- (vs. low-) arousal language leads to stronger purchase intentions, whereas for human influencers, using high- (vs. low-) arousal language results in weaker purchase intentions. We also uncover a novel mechanism that language typicality and trust mediate this interaction effect in a serial manner. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.