The effects of embodied virtual agents have been widely studied but too often without a theoretical model of such effects. This paper proposes and tests a two-step affective route of persuasion, based on perspectives from psychology and consumer behavior. Step 1 posits effects of the agent on affect. Step 2 posits effects of affect on a construct of website stickiness. The model is tested in an experiment. The construct of stickiness is validated and the affective route is partially confirmed.
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