Luxury haul video creators’ nonverbal communication and viewer intention to subscribe on YouTube

In this study we used luxury haul videos (LHVs) on YouTube to explore how creators’ nonverbal communication cues encourage viewers to subscribe to certain channels and to purchase the luxury goods introduced in the videos. Participants were 337 Korean women who completed a survey in which they rated the nonverbal communication of the creators. The results demonstrate that kinesics and paralanguage were important nonverbal communication factors affecting viewers’ perception of content attributes. Creators’ physical appearance was found to be relatively less important. We also found that perceived entertainment quality and perceived credibility of the content were important factors related to viewers’ intention to subscribe and purchase. Our results reveal the nonverbal communication characteristics that LHV creators need to develop to be successful, and what viewers expect from the LHVs.