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Virtual agents in e‐commerce: representational characteristics for seniors

Virtual agents in e‐commerce: representational characteristics for seniors Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two‐fold: to investigate virtual agent representational characteristics (modality, interaction style, animation, realism, embodiment, and gender) employed by agent software providers in developing commercial and non‐commercial web sites; and to examine older consumers' preferences in these agent characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 involves a content analysis of 64 sample web sites of agent providers, and study 2 consists of four focus group interviews conducted with 25 older consumers in the age group of 65‐82 years. Findings – Findings from both studies reveal some important disconnects between agent characteristics (modality, realism, animation, and gender) offered by virtual agent software providers and those preferred by older consumers. As a result, important recommendations are provided for the development of virtual agents for e‐commerce applications to enhance accessibility for older users. Originality/value – No previous studies have investigated which agent characteristics enhance web accessibility and are most preferred by older users in the context of e‐commerce applications. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing Emerald Publishing

Virtual agents in e‐commerce: representational characteristics for seniors

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
2040-7122
DOI
10.1108/17505931111191492
Publisher site
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Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two‐fold: to investigate virtual agent representational characteristics (modality, interaction style, animation, realism, embodiment, and gender) employed by agent software providers in developing commercial and non‐commercial web sites; and to examine older consumers' preferences in these agent characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 involves a content analysis of 64 sample web sites of agent providers, and study 2 consists of four focus group interviews conducted with 25 older consumers in the age group of 65‐82 years. Findings – Findings from both studies reveal some important disconnects between agent characteristics (modality, realism, animation, and gender) offered by virtual agent software providers and those preferred by older consumers. As a result, important recommendations are provided for the development of virtual agents for e‐commerce applications to enhance accessibility for older users. Originality/value – No previous studies have investigated which agent characteristics enhance web accessibility and are most preferred by older users in the context of e‐commerce applications.

Journal

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 18, 2011

Keywords: Internet; Older consumers; Consumer behaviour; Web sites; Virtual agents; E‐commerce; Aging; Modality; Interaction; Representation

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