Citation

Liew, Tze Wei and Tan, Su Mae (2018) Exploring the effects of specialist versus generalist embodied virtual agents in a multi-product category online store. Telematics and Informatics, 35 (1). pp. 122-135. ISSN 0736-5853

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Abstract

Embodied virtual agents have been increasingly implemented in e-commerce websites to providea more natural, social, and engaging way to deliver product information to online shoppers. Themedia equation theory posits that users’responses to computer agents adhere to human-to-human social rules; hence, effective designs of embodied virtual agents should be based uponsocial psychology rules. One such rule is the notion of specialisation. While the concept of mediaspecialisation in terms of TVs, computers, websites, web agents, smartphones, and voice assis-tants have been examined; no studies have yet to explore the effects of specialists and generalistembodied virtual agents in a multi-product category online store. To bridge this research gap, anexperiment was conducted in which university undergraduates (n = 132) were randomly dividedto interact with either a multi-product category website that incorporated specialist virtualagents or a multi-product category website that deployed a generalist virtual agent. Consistentwith the hypotheses of this study, it was shown that the use of specialist virtual agents (ascompared to a generalist virtual agent) enhanced perceptions of agent expertise, informationcredibility, website trust (ability, benevolence, integrity), and purchase intention. Meditationanalyses revealed that the effects of agent specialisation on purchase intention were mediated byperceived virtual agent expertise, perceived information credibility, and website trust (ability,benevolence, integrity). Finally, the effects of agent specialisation were shown to be more evidentfor females than for males. Theoretical and practical implications related to virtual agent spe-cialisation in the context of multi-product category online stores are discussed in this paper.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Web sites
Subjects:	T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering > TK5101-6720 Telecommunication. Including telegraphy, telephone, radio, radar, television
Divisions:	Faculty of Business (FOB)
Depositing User:	Ms Rosnani Abd Wahab
Date Deposited:	09 Nov 2020 19:46
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2020 19:46
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/7289

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