Exploring the Characteristics of YouTubers and Their Influence on Viewers’ Purchase Intention: A Viewers’ Pseudo-Social Interaction Perspective

As the video content online becomes more and more diverse and rich, YouTube has become the most commonly used video platform by the public. When choosing a product brand, viewers give priority to products recommended by their favorite YouTubers. To our best knowledge, no studies in the research literature have explored the relationships between the degree of YouTubers’ self-disclosure, similarity of viewers and YouTubers, YouTubers’ attractiveness, and viewers’ pseudo-social interaction with YouTubers and how these affect viewers’ stickiness to YouTubers, viewers’ brand attitudes toward products, and viewers’ perceptions and purchase intentions of YouTuber-recommended brands and products. Viewers’ stickiness to YouTubers, viewers’ brand attitudes toward products, and viewers’ pseudo-social interactions with YouTubers are mediating variables. A total of 435 valid questionnaires were collected. The results show that the degree of YouTubers’ self-disclosure, similarity of viewers and YouTubers, and YouTubers’ attractiveness have a significantly positive impact on viewers’ pseudo-social interaction, and viewers’ pseudo-social interaction will also have a significantly positive impact on viewers’ brand attitude and stickiness to YouTubers. Moreover, viewers’ brand attitude has a significantly positive impact on viewers’ purchase intention. The results also show that the degree of self-disclosure, similarity, and attractiveness indirectly affect brand attitudes through pseudo-social interaction as an intermediary, and the pseudo-social interaction has an indirect effect on purchase intention through brand attitudes. Finally, based on the findings, this paper focuses on the YouTube market and proposes strategies that YouTubers can improve to increase viewers’ stickiness, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions for brands and products recommended by YouTubers.