The Catalytic Effect of Sensory Language: How Virtual Streamers “Talk” Consumers Into Purchasing

ABSTRACT

With the rapid adoption of virtual streamers in live streaming commerce, how their language strategies shape consumer decision‐making remains insufficiently understood. Although sensory language is widely used by human streamers as a persuasive device, its effectiveness in virtual streamer contexts remains inconclusive. Drawing on processing fluency theory, this study examines the interactive effects of virtual streamers' sensory language (present vs. absent) and message appeal (rational vs. emotional) on consumers' purchase intention, while testing processing fluency as a mediating mechanism and streamer‐product matching level as a moderating factor. Using scenario‐based experiments, the results show that sensory language is not universally effective; rather, its persuasive impact depends on its alignment with the type of message appeal. Specifically, sensory language enhances processing fluency and, when combined with emotional appeals, increases purchase intention, whereas it may undermine processing fluency under rational appeal conditions. Further analyses indicate that a high level of streamer‐product matching strengthens this interaction effect. By adopting an information‐processing perspective, this research identifies critical boundary conditions for the persuasive effectiveness of virtual streamers' language strategies, extends the literature on virtual streamer persuasion mechanisms, and provides actionable insights for content design in live streaming commerce.