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AI-Powered Digital Human Live Streaming and Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention: Influencing Factors, Mechanisms, and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the digital economy, AI-powered digital human live streaming, a novel marketing format that integrates artificial intelligence with live-streaming e-commerce, is profoundly reshaping Chinese consumers’ shopping experiences and purchasing decisions. This paper employs a systematic literature review methodology to collate recent research findings on the factors influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions in relation to AI-powered digital human live streaming. Through integrated analysis, this paper first defines the conceptual evolution and technical characteristics of AI-powered digital humans. Second, it systematically identifies three core categories of factors influencing consumer purchase intention: feature dimensions of AI-powered digital humans (anthropomorphism, intelligent interactivity, and personalized recommendation), psychological mechanisms (social presence and trust in AI), and boundary conditions (product type and consumer characteristics). Consequently, this paper proposes an integrated dual-path model of presence and trust, revealing the underlying mechanisms through which these influencing factors affect purchase intention via the presence and trust pathways. Finally, this paper reviews the methodological characteristics of existing research and identifies future research directions. This paper provides a systematic knowledge base for theoretical construction and empirical research in the field of AI-powered digital human live streaming.

Keywords

AI-powered digital humans, Live-streaming e-commerce, Chinese consumers, Purchase intention, Systematic review

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