As virtual influencers gain popularity, understanding the factors driving consumer responses is essential. However, limited research explores how perceived value (informativeness, entertainment, novelty, and incentives) and consumer engagement influence purchase intention. Perceived value is a key predictor of consumer behavior, while consumer engagement enhances perceived value and marketing effectiveness. Additionally, the moderating roles of source credibility and generational cohort remain underexplored. This study examines these relationships through a survey of 331 Chinese Generation Y and Z consumers, analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that informativeness, entertainment, and incentives positively influence purchase intention, while novelty has a negative effect. Consumer engagement drives purchase intention and enhances perceived value. Source credibility and generational cohort moderate these effects. When source credibility is low, novelty reduces purchase intention, while incentives increase it. High source credibility makes consumer engagement more influential. Informativeness enhances purchase intention among Generation Y, whereas Generation Z is more influenced by consumer engagement. This study extends research on advertising value and consumer engagement, offering insights for brands optimizing virtual influencer marketing strategies across different consumer segments.

While numerous people use social mobile applications, ads within these apps are often avoided. Although the significance of prior negative experience and personality traits in impacting consumers’ perceptions and behaviors has been acknowledged, limited research has explored their influence on ad perceptions and avoidance. This study aims to examine the effects of prior negative experience and personality traits on ad perceptions and ad avoidance of Generation Y (Gen Y) and Generation Z (Gen Z) within two prominent mobile social apps: WeChat and TikTok. An online survey was used to gather data from 353 Chinese Gen Y and Gen Zers who were active users of WeChat and TikTok. Findings from several regression analyses show that prior negative experience is an essential determinant of ad avoidance, influencing not just directly but indirectly by diminishing perceived ad personalization and intensifying perceived goal impediment and ad clutter. Personality traits also significantly affect ad avoidance, with conscientiousness exerting a positive effect, whereas agreeableness has a negative impact. Notably, agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness to experience moderate the associations between ad perceptions and avoidance. Intriguingly, the effects of these factors are platform-specific, with WeChat’s main factor for ad avoidance being erceived goal impediment and TikTok’s main factor being ad clutter. Based on these findings, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers require special consideration because they are a distinct demographic, are less receptive to mobile advertising, and have not been thoroughly studied. This study seeks to advance ad avoidance research by creatively examining Gen Zers’ perceived ad risk and ad avoidance in mobile applications (apps) and the role that risk attitude and time pressure play in these phenomena. The formal study was conducted in March 2023 via an online survey, and 312 sample data were identified for data analysis. It was found that there is a positive relationship between Gen Zers’ perceived risk and their avoidance of app advertising, with time, performance, and privacy risks being the primary advertising risks. Gen Zers perceive higher advertising risk when they are under time pressure or are risk-averse, and time pressure is a more vital indicator of perceived risk than risk attitude. Time pressure also significantly affects mechanical avoidance (e.g., using an ad blocker) more than behavioral avoidance. Still, the risk attitude only positively affects Gen Zers’ behavioral avoidance of app ads. This study concludes that ad avoidance can be reduced by reducing users’ perceived risk and time pressure. Also, ads should be placed based on consumers’ risk attitude. Future research needs to validate these findings in other cultures, compare Gen Z to other generations, and consider the consequences of ad avoidance.