Virtual agents in e-commerce: Representational characteristics for seniors

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to investigate virtual agent representational characteristics (modality, interaction style, animation, realism, embodiment, and gender) employed by agent software providers in developing commercial and non-commercial web sites; and to examine older consumers' preferences in these agent characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: Study 1 involves a content analysis of 64 sample web sites of agent providers, and study 2 consists of four focus group interviews conducted with 25 older consumers in the age group of 65-82 years. Findings: Findings from both studies reveal some important disconnects between agent characteristics (modality, realism, animation, and gender) offered by virtual agent software providers and those preferred by older consumers. As a result, important recommendations are provided for the development of virtual agents for e-commerce applications to enhance accessibility for older users. Originality/value: No previous studies have investigated which agent characteristics enhance web accessibility and are most preferred by older users in the context of e-commerce applications.