A talking avatar is a virtual character that speaks and responds to user input. Avatars are widely used in various industries for a variety of purposes, including customer service, education, and entertainment. They provide a more personalized experience for consumers and are able to deliver information in a more engaging way.

Talking avatars are also commonly used in e-commerce websites to increase the perceived social presence of online stores. However, the effects of talking avatars on consumer behavior remain largely unexplored. In particular, previous research has not examined whether the embodied nature of talking avatars influences the socio-emotive impact on website trust and patronage intention.

While non-interactive talking avatars can evoke positive perceptions of social presence and website trust in male participants, they negatively affect female users’ information credibility and patronage intention. This may be due to the fact that females tend to process e-commerce information differently than males, and prefer textual rather than audiovisual content.

To create a talking avatar, the first step is to design the avatar and add voice recordings. Then, the avatar’s mouth movements must be synchronized with the speech to create a realistic animation. Software like Adobe Character Animator is one of the most popular options for creating talking avatars, and it offers features that allow users to lip-sync their characters. Other software such as HeyGen, which offers free and unlimited use for everyone, is another option for people looking to make a talking avatar. talking avatar