Virtual influencers have become a key tool in modern marketing due to their high controllability and cost-effectiveness, gradually replacing traditional influencers and celebrities. This study focuses on virtual influencers as brand endorsers, based on signaling theory and attachment theory, exploring the influence of five key characteristics - controllability, interactivity, parasocial relationship, influencer-product congruence, and source credibility on the purchase intension of Chinese Generation Z consumers. The study used a quantitative approach to collect data through a structured questionnaire distributed to 403 Chinese Generation Z consumers, with the sample covering different city tiers to reflect regional diversity. The data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the structural equation modeling using the partial least squares (PLS-SEM) method. The results show that all five key characteristics of virtual influencers significantly and positively influence consumer purchase intentions. Brand equity moderated the effects of controllability and influencer- product congruence on purchase intention, while emotional attachment amplified the roles of interactivity, parasocial relationships, and source credibility. However, some of the moderating effects did not reach statistical significance, suggesting that the traditional moderating structure may not adequately reflect the dynamic impact of the virtual influencer's non-human characteristics and its high controllability. This study expands the application of signaling theory and attachment theory to reveal the unique role of brand equity and emotional attachment in the context of virtual influencer. The findings provide guidance for companies to optimize their virtual influencer marketing strategies.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are playing an increasingly important role in sustaining economic growth and generating employment in Malaysia. SMEs also play a very crucial role in supply chain management (SCM) as they may serve the roles of suppliers, producers, distributors and customers. However, adoption of SCM in Malaysian SMEs has not been broadly explored. Therefore, the authors propose a conceptual model by examining the moderating effects of contextual factors (firm size, firm age and supply chain length) on the relationship between SCM practices, namely, information sharing, strategic supplier partnership, customer relationship, material flow management, corporate culture and SCM performance in a single study. The study has important managerial implications as the findings will enable management of SMEs to understand progressive and highly varied SCM practices and contextual factors that contribute to the SCM performance and its effective implementation.

The concept of ritual originates from religion and has become a core concept of symbolic consumer behaviors. Symbolic value, as part of product value, may also play a role in promoting consumer loyalty. More importantly, this approach can be implemented by relying on a consumption ritualization process. Following the ritualistic path to discuss the realization of platform loyalty is even more urgent in the digital age. This may be attributed to the gamification trend and social features of digital platforms. In this paper, we focus on the symbolic value of digital product as an antecedent to the consumption ritualization process, which is expected to have a positive relationship with platform loyalty. This study has two purposes: (1) review the literature on symbolic value and consumption ritualization, and (2) propose a plausible conceptual model to illustrate the relationship between symbolic value, consumption ritualization, and platform loyalty in the context of digital platforms in China, as moderated by the platform’s gamified feature and social feature. More detailed empirical research will be based on structural equation modeling approaches. The research findings will be particularly important for digital platform marketers to timely respond to external events and actively participate in the consumption ritualization practices.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

As an integral part of marketing channel research, the research of marketing channel performance is conducive to reflect the current situation of marketing channel on the one hand and contributes to optimizing management process and improving enterprise management level on the other hand. Therefore, it has been the highlight of research for many years. For automobile producers, an effective marketing channel is a grind to promote product sales and redefine marketing costs, which enables them to gain a competitive edge in the market competition. Therefore, this paper intends to circumscribe the impact on the marketing channel performance from multiple aspects. It analyzes channel synergy as a mediating variable determines internal and external factors as independent variables.