Do You Trust My Avatar? Effects of Photo-Realistic Seller Avatars and Reputation Scores on Trust in Online Transactions

We investigated the influence of photo-realistic avatars and reputation scores on trust building in online transactions. In Experiment 1, 126 participants played a computer-mediated trust game with three avatar conditions (trustworthy, untrustworthy, and no seller avatar) and three reputation conditions (positive, negative, and no seller reputation). Both trustworthy avatars and positive reputation scores led to higher purchase rates. We also found a significant interaction between avatars and reputation scores, suggesting that the effect of avatars was stronger when the reputation score induced uncertainty. To further support this effect, we systematically varied uncertainty levels in Experiment 2, in which 147 participants played another trust game. Results again confirmed that participants relied more on avatars in their decisions under high uncertainty. Taken together, the results show that avatars can help to reduce uncertainty and to improve trust building in e-commerce settings.