How do virtual streamers drive consumer purchase in livestreaming commerce? The effects of AI-generated positive emotions

Purpose This article investigates the effecting paths of virtual streamers' AI-generated positive emotions on consumers' purchase intention in livestreaming commerce. Design/methodology/approach Using a scenario-based experimental approach, this study empirically tested their hypotheses by collecting data (n = 303) from live-streaming consumers who participated in the survey. Findings The results reveal that: (1) At a subconscious level, the AI-generated positive emotions exhibited by virtual streamers can evoke similar positive emotions in consumers, thereby bolstering their purchase intention; (2) At a conscious level, the AI-generated positive emotions expressed by virtual streamers enhance consumers' purchase intention via the mechanism of positive disconfirmation; (3) Consumers' emotion assimilation competency and their sense of power moderate the subconscious and conscious pathways, respectively. Originality/value Based on emotional contagion theory and expectation disconfirmation theory, this study reveals a dual emotional contagion pathway (i.e. subconscious primitive contagion and conscious emotional comparisons) for the effects of virtual streamers' AI-generated positive emotions on consumer purchase intention. The findings also contribute to a more nuanced understanding of emotional contagion in this context by unraveling important boundary conditions.