How the Presence of Employee Avatars Affects Metaverse Shopping Behavior
基于社会影响理论和印象管理文献，通过两个实验发现，在尴尬购物场景（如购买避孕套、成人尿布）中，零售店员工虚拟化身（无论是真人还是机器人）的存在会引发消费者的负面反应，而在普通场景中则无此效应。
Brands are increasingly using the metaverse to promote sales of products and services, but the social influence of avatars in that context is largely unknown. Grounded in social impact theory and impression management literature, this research investigates the impact of retail store employee avatar presence on consumer behavior. Two between-subjects studies from laboratory and online settings uncover consumers’ aversive responses to employee avatar presence—living (human) and nonliving (robot)—on several key outcomes. This negative effect only emerges in embarrassing shopping settings, such as the purchase of condoms and adult diapers, but not in ordinary (nonembarrassing) settings.