Projects in need of doing Rui Alves. Metabolic Reconstruction Rui Alves.
Presentation alves soares_final
-
Upload
antonio-alves -
Category
Documents
-
view
32 -
download
0
Transcript of Presentation alves soares_final
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
António Alves
Ana Soares
1Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor
in e-commerce
Porto/May 16- 17, 2013
The lack of sociability and human warmth on the Internet sale platforms has been identified as a major obstacle to its widespread adoption.
Several studies show that the introduction of social stimuli increases credibility and perceived trust of online stores.
These factors have a major impact on the adoption of buying behaviors and loyalty among consumers.
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
2
Contextualization
Contextualization
The literature suggests that the use of avatars can increase the persuasiveness of online sales channels (Wang, Baker, Wagner, & Wakefield, 2007).
Avatars are responsible for increasing credibility, perceived trust, and allowing for social stimuli and human warmth in online stores interactions;
Avatars lead to greater consumer satisfaction with the seller, a better attitude toward the product and increased purchase intent
(Holzwarth et al, 2006).
3
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Avatar - virtual character with human characteristics created by technology.
Contextualization
The technology now available allows equipping a website with animated 3D avatars with high
level of interactivity and multiple graphic options.
Avatars can be built from real human beings images and endowed with
- synthesized voice through text to speech technology (TTS);
- real human voice;
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can be tailored to the specific online store characteristics.
4
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Contextualization/Functions and Representation of Avatars
In an online store avatars should be used to act as a commercial assistant. (Salem & Earl, 2000 apud Qiu & Benbasat, 2005; McGoldrick, Keeling, & Beatty, 2008)
Avatares can be:
5
Abstract/Cartoons
Naturalistic Realistic
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Objectives of this study
Contribute to increase the knowledge about the effects of the use of avatars, particularly those based on images of real persons, endowed with TTS or real human voice, on online consumer behavior.
6
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Conceptual Model
The proposed conceptual model includes two distinct stages of analysis:
Step 1) to assess the effects of three different levels of sociability on the latent variables "Trust" "Credibility" and "Sociability and Human Warmth";
Step 2) to assess the importance of these three constructs as enhancers and predictors of consumers purchase and repurchase intention in the online store .
7
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Methodology
An experimental plan organized in the form of three groups with control group and post-test. Why?
1) Avatar technology is still unknown among firms that operate online shops;
2) Only an experiment can ensure the maximum possible control of externalvariables such as the influence of design and degree of sophistication of the website, theinfluence of the type of product, price and the always important factor that is the brand.
3) This experimental design, although simple, is robust both in terms of internal and external validity.
8
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Methodology
9
Experimental Plan
Distribution Treatment Post-Test (Questionnaire)
R X1 O
R X2 O
R X3 O
X1 – Online Shop only with photos and text, traditional treatment, control group;X2 – Online Shop with naturalistic avatar using TTS voice;X3 – Online Shop with realistic avatar using human voice.
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Methodology
The chosen products for sale were sports shoes, since these are
shopping goods which in general do not require a very complex
decision making process.
10
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Online Shops
11
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Shop 1 – experimental group I
Online Shops
12
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Shop 2 – experimental group II
Online Shops
13
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Shop 3 – experimental group III
Used Avatars
14
Female avatars were chosen to appear in Online Shops because they are perceived by consumers as more attractive (Nowak and Rauth, 2005).
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Built with SitePalTM Technology
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
15
To test hypotheses H1, H2, H3 we performed an analysis of variance (one factor ANOVA).
Data Analysis
16
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Data Analysis
17
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Data AnalysisIn order to identify the groups which are different we analyzed the table generated by Scheffé post-hoc test.
18
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Data Analysis
Group II
- More Credibility
- More Sociability and Human Warmth
Group III
- More Credibility
- More Trust
- More Sociability and Human Warmth
Group I (control)
Shop without Avatar
+
+
19
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
The differences between avatars with TTS voice and the photo-realistic avatars with real voice were not statistically significant.
Data Analysis/PLS-SEM
20
In order to verify the strength of these linear relationships and their individualized predictive capacity, an Partial Least Squares analysis (PLS) was run between “Trust”, “Credibility”, “Sociability and Human Warmth”
and the dependent variable “Purchase and Repurchase Intention”.
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Data Analysis/PLS-SEM
21
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
The results show that we must reject hypothesis H2a becausethe path Credibility Purchase/Repurchase Intention is notsignificant. The other two paths (Hypothesis H1a, H3a) aresignificant and accepted.
Data Analysis/PLS-SEM
22
To assess the influence strength of each latent exogenous variable on Purchase and Repurchase Intention we calculated the Effect Size of each one. The “effect size” is calculated by means of the Cohen’s coefficient (Cohen, 1988).
.
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Trust 0.20 Moderate but significant effect
Credibility 0 Null effect
Sociability and HumanWarmth
0.48 Very substantial effect
Data Analysis/PLS-SEM
23
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
• “Sociability and Human Warmth” and “Trust” are predictive variables of “Purchase and Repurchase Intention”.
• “Sociability and Human Warmth” is the most important inducer of “Purchase and repurchase intention”.
• “Credibility” has a null predictive effect
Conclusion
Underpinned on this study, as also on the findings of Wangand Fodness (2010) and Qiu and Benbasat (2009), we can saythat animated avatars exert an influence on onlineconsumers similar to real salespeople.
Avatar technology, that can be combined with A.I., is alsopromising in the field of Customer Relationship Management(now transformed into e-CRM), in the market segmentationand in lead generation.
24
Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor in e-commerce
Thank you for your attention!Questions?
25Evaluating the use of Avatars as Sociability Factor
in e-commerce