Abstract:

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand consumer’s first impressions formation towards virtual salespersons. It tends to investigate consumer's perception of virtual salespersons and highlight the antecedents of first impression formation that could lead to a later use and interaction. Based on thirty-two in-depth interviews, this paper explains how virtual salespersons can attract and satisfy users. Then, it shows that online salesperson's characteristics like appearance and personality would be most likely to communicate a first positive impressions, lead to an interaction.