The purchases a person makes can say a lot about them. In other words, the things they buy are nothing less than a means of self-expression — a defined image and identity.
When other people notice the new shoes a woman wore to work, or the latest iPhone a young man is using, they offer compliments and approval of the stylish purchase. All of this is critically important to people — which is why communication and connection with others is a life necessity.
Many human communication needs are met in the virtual world. Social networks are a vivid example. Some needs can also be satisfied through game characters. This works thanks to emotional connection — and the same mechanism can be successfully applied in e-commerce through NPCs (non-player characters).
Emotional connection with a character is nothing new
The idea of such a connection was initially considered absurd. But people who read fiction (both now and in past centuries) empathise deeply with characters, even associate themselves with them, and become so immersed in the world of the work that they sometimes forget they’re in a book, not real life.
Take a video game, for example: the player effectively enters the same conditions as the character, and the emotional connection becomes even more real than with a book. The player isn’t just passively observing — they actively participate in the character’s fate and want them to succeed.
The main reason for such a strong human connection with NPCs is their functionality, which advances the player through the game and points the right direction. In life as in games, people don’t like useless characters.
Parasocial connection
Back in the mid-20th century, researchers studied how a one-sided connection with a media personality forms. This is the imagined experience observed in people’s relationships with TV hosts and other public figures or celebrities. A person imagines they’re in a relationship with the media personality and that the personality is speaking directly to them.
In some cases, this imagination is so strong that the audience on this side of the screen perceives the famous person as a real friend. That’s a parasocial connection, which forms under these conditions:
— non-verbal character of the communication;
— physical attractiveness of the character, making it easy to identify with the image;
— the address to the viewer happens directly.
When these conditions are met, parasocial interaction can change the personality and life of the person — and it can be used for online communities, video games, and e-commerce alike.
The effect of parasocial relationships in UX
If we look at the online shopper, they want to see the same three conditions on the resource that caught their interest. For example, in a fashion boutique they see an image of an impeccably dressed attractive young man whose gaze is fixed directly on the viewer, with a message beside him: “Dress better than your boss!”
That’s enough for the potential client to imagine themselves walking into the office, a presentation, or a restaurant in that suit. This example checks all the boxes for a parasocial connection between buyer and NPC:
— the page has a task and offers a tool to complete it;
— a “Buy now” button and an image of the suit itself are intuitively clear;
— the model looks straight at the visitor; the text is also addressed directly to them.
The same scenario plays out across other zones of the site. Completely different models embody the same person in different situations, prompting the player-buyer to complete their task.
The more the person’s interaction with the online resource develops, the more they begin to feel that the people on screen sincerely want them to be successful — not just as a buyer, but as a healthy, happy, prosperous person in life. The entire page structure — both text and images — works toward this.
The advantages of a particular company and its product are much easier to convey through photography, copy, and typography than to simply describe. This is one of the effective tools for expressing the true essence of the company, its priorities, and its mission.
Long-term relationships — the foundation of success
For an online store, it’s important not only to attract customers but to retain them. The site needs many elements, from calls to action to email sending. Every message must follow a coherent sequence.
For example, a potential customer receives a welcome email with a nice free-shipping offer on their first order, followed by important product information, then an invitation to join the community and other interaction touchpoints.
Daily emails about new collections or sales are a must. Emails should include details, an invitation to revisit the site, and suggestions for actions the customer can take together with others:
— download the app;
— visit the fashion-tips blog;
— post photos on Instagram and end up on a product page, etc.
From all of this we can conclude that video game makers and online store owners share one goal — attract users and retain them. It’s achievable: respect the buyer’s intelligence, offer interesting options, help the customer, and act as a professional guide on their journey.
