Virtual influencers in metaverse : Discussion and research on the impacts of the purchasing decisions of Generation Z

Customers are uncertain about whom to trust due to the market's diverse product selections and rising commercial advertising. It is difficult for businesses to keep up with the digital landscape because of their onerous restrictions such as budget or human resources. Besides, customers also tend to trust word-of-mouth marketing from their relatives and friends over brand-specific advertising. Influencer marketing may therefore turn out to be one of the most promising types of advertising. Moreover, the concept of virtual influencers is more and more popular thanks to the incredible results they bring to businesses from brand protection to a fresh direction for creative storytelling. Especially, with the strong development trend of the Metaverse, virtual influencers will soon take over digital marketing. The main purpose of this thesis was to provide a reference for marketers keen on the idea of “Virtual Influencers” influencing the purchasing decisions of younger consumers due to the lack of relevant literature. In particular, examples of the achievements that real and virtual influencers bring to well-being companies such as Dior and Ikea were presented to demonstrate the validity of the hypothesis. This thesis is carried out as a research-based thesis that uses the quantitative approach to obtain primary data from a random sample of 100 answers drawn from the research survey and secondary data from available sources. In addition, influencer marketing theory is reviewed carefully from instances of influencer campaigns to predictions for its future. The analysis's findings offer several hypotheses regarding consumers' interest in virtual influencers and the Metaverse, as well as comparisons between virtual and human influencers. Because the customer's approach to these two methods is different, the article also recommends that marketers should choose a reasonable method for each of their marketing strategies