Abstract

The rise of AI-driven avatars in omnichannel marketing has introduced new possibilities for brand-consumer engagement, combining technological innovation with marketing efficiency. Although cost-efficiency and uniformity of the message are all good strengths that these digital characters hold, there are concerns regarding their capacity to establish genuine relationships with others, as human influencers can. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to examine the performance and perception of AI-driven avatars versus human influencers across 120 omnichannel campaigns in fashion, beauty, technology, wellness, and lifestyle sectors. Quantitative analysis reveals that human influencers achieve higher engagement (6.32% vs. 5.89%), conversion (2.87% vs. 2.31%), and trust scores (4.2 vs. 3.4 on a 5-point scale). In comparison, AI-driven avatars demonstrate superior cost efficiency (PKR 7.14 vs. 10.34 CPI) and message consistency (91.2% vs. 83.9%). Moderated regression analysis indicates that AI-driven avatars perform better in technology-related campaigns (*p* = 0.005), suggesting that product-influencer alignment is critical. Qualitative insights from focus groups (n = 24) highlight consumer skepticism toward AI-driven avatars, citing a lack of emotional depth and spontaneity; however, younger audiences show greater acceptance. The relational trust that can offset distrust is transparency regarding the non-human nature of avatars. The study concludes that AI-driven avatars are most effective in contexts that require scalability and visual uniformity, such as technology and gaming. At the same time, human influencers remain preferable for emotionally driven sectors like beauty and wellness. The recommendation is a hybrid approach, which involves which is followed to select the forces of both to produce the best omnichannel marketing. The findings are relevant to help evolve the discussion on digital influencer marketing, as they provide empirical evidence to inform the strategic decision-making process and the ethics of deploying avatars.

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