The potency of audiovisual attractiveness and influencer marketing: the road to customer behavioral engagement

Digital technologies have signified audiovisual (vs. textual) cues for customers on online booking platforms (e.g., Airbnb and hotels). Predicating on the current literature, this study investigates the influencers' audiovisual attractiveness, customer-influencer interaction, and their consequent customer behavioral engagement using three experimental studies. This research involved an analysis using IBM SPSS 28.0, which included independent sample t-test and One-way ANOVA. Additionally, moderation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro model 4. In order, Study 1 reveals that influencers' audiovisual attractiveness at high (vs. low) significantly and directly manipulate customer engagement. In Study 2, using Process Model 4, customer-influencer interaction significantly mediates the relationships between influencers' audiovisual attractiveness and customer behavioral engagement. Last, Study 3 incorporates the moderation of influencers' audiovisual expertise between customer-influencer interaction and customer behavioral engagement. The two-way between-subjects analysis anchors that when influencers’ audiovisual expertise is high (vs. low), and customers having good (vs. bad) interactions, it engenders higher effects on customer behavioral engagement. The findings add to the literature on consumer engagement on booking platforms and underscore the potency of audiovisual attractiveness to engage customers. We also acknowledge the shortcomings and provide recommendations for future studies.