Do chatbots attract users? Exploring the drivers of consumer intention

Tebourbi, Sameh; Khemakhem, Romdhane

doi:10.22059/jcss.2026.407333.1210

Do chatbots attract users? Exploring the drivers of consumer intention

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original article

Authors

Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.

10.22059/jcss.2026.407333.1210

Abstract

Background: Chatbot become more popular, marketing research has paid enormous attention to chatbot and its impact on customer’s intention.
Aims: This article aims to reveal the utilitarian motivations and communication style of the chatbot by highlighting the role of social presence and its impacts on user intent.
Methodology: In this study, by applying social presence theory, adding utilitarian motivation and communication style as explicative variables, a survey data of 200 users of chatbot was used. The theoretical model was tested and confirmed via structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings: The results indicated that the utilitarian motivations, communication style and social presence of the chatbot are the main determinants of the intention to use this electronic channel. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as the limits and future directions of the study are discussed.
Conclusion: This study examines the impact of chatbots on consumer intent, highlighting the role of social presence and communication style. The results confirm that these factors positively influence user intentions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

humanities & social sciences

References

Adam, M.; Wessel, M. & Benlian, A. (2021). “AI-based chatbots in customer service and their effects on user compliance”. Electronic Markets. 31: 427-445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-020-00414-7.

Agárdi, I. & Alt, M.A. (2024). “Do digital natives use mobile payment differently than digital immigrants? A comparative study between generation X and Z”. Electronic Commerce Research. 24(3): 1463-1490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09537-9.

Aggarwal, P. & McGill, A.L. (2007). “Is that car smiling at me? Schema congruity as a basis for evaluating anthropomorphized products”. Journal of Consumer Research. 34(4): 468-479. https://doi.org/10.1086/518544.

Akrout, F. (2010). Les méthodes des équations structurelles. Laboratoire de recherche Marketing. https://fr.scribd.com/document/544051756/Fathi-Akrout-Les-Methodes-Des-Equations. [in French]

Babin, B.J.; Darden, W.R. & Grifn, M. (1994). “Work and/or fun: measuring hedonic and utilitarian shopping value”. Journal of Consumer Research. 20(4): 644-656. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2489765.

Baron, R.M. & Kenny, D.A. (1986). “The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 51(6): 1173–1182. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.

Biocca, F.; Harms, C. & Burgoon, J.K. (2003). “Toward a more robust theory and measure of social presence: Review and suggested criteria”. Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments. 12(5): 456-480. https://doi.org/10.1162/105474603322761270.

Bleier, A.; Harmeling, C.M. & Palmatier, R.W. (2019). “Creating effective online customer experiences”. Journal of Marketing. 83(2): 98-119. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0022242918809930.

Canevello, A. & Crocker, J. (2010). “Creating good relationships: responsiveness, relationship quality, and interpersonal goals”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(1): 78-106. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018186.

Canziani, B. & MacSween, S. (2021). “Consumer acceptance of voice-activated smart home devices for product information seeking and online ordering”. Computers in Human Behavior. 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106714.

Chattaraman, V.; Kwon, W.S.; Gilbert, J.E. & Ross, K. (2019). “Should AI-based, conversational digital assistants employ social- or task-oriented interaction style? A task- competency and reciprocity perspective for older adults”. Computers in Human Behavior. 90: 315-330. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.048.

Cheng, Y. & Jiang, H. (2020). “How do AI-driven chatbots impact user experience? Examining gratifcations, perceived privacy risk, satisfaction, loyalty, and continued use”. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. 64(4): 592-614. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2020.1834296.

Chung, M.; Ko, E.; Joung, H. & Kim, S.J. (2020). “Chatbot e-service and customer satisfaction regarding luxury brands”. Journal of Business Research. 117: 587-595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.004.

Crolic, C.; Thomaz, F.; Hadi, R. & Stephen, A.T. (2022). “Blame the bot: Anthropomorphism and anger in customer–chatbot interactions”. Journal of Marketing. 86(1): 132-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429211045687.

Cyr, D.; Hassanein, K.; Head, M. & Ivanov, A. (2007). “The role of social presence in establishing loyalty in e-service environments”. Interacting with Computers. 19(1): 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intcom.2006.07.010

De Cicco, R.; Silva, S.C. & Alparone, F.R. (2020). “Millennials’ attitude toward chatbots: An experimental study in a social relationship perspective”. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 48(11): 1213-1233. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-12-2019-0406.

Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2014). “Autonomy and need satisfaction in close relationships: Relationships motivation theory”. In Weinstein N. (Ed.). Human Motivation and Interpersonal Relationships: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 53-73). Cham: Springer.

Dinh, C.M. & Park, S. (2024). “How to increase consumer intention to use Chatbots? An empirical analysis of hedonic and utilitarian motivations on social presence and the moderating effects of fear across generations: Dinh and Park”. Electronic Commerce Research. 24(4): 2427-2467. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09662-5.

Fornell, C. & Larcker, D.F. (1981). “Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error”. Journal of Marketing Research. 18(1): 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104.

Gefen, D. & Straub, D.W. (2004). “Consumer trust in B2C e-Commerce and the importance of social presence: Experiments in e-Products and e-Services”. Omega. 32(6): 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2004.01.006.

Geiger, A.; Horbel, C. & Germelmann, C.C. (2018). “’Give and take’: How notions of sharing and context determine free peer-to-peer accommodation decisions”. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 35(1): 5-15. doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2016.1231101.

Gretry, A.; Horváth, C.; Belei, N. & van Riel, A.C.R. (2017). “Don’t pretend to be my friend! When an informal brand communication style backfires on social media”. Journal of Business Research. 74: 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.01.012.

Hoyle, R.H. (1995). Structural Equation Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Applications. Sage Publications.

Huang, M.H. & Rust, R.T. (2021). “Engaged to a robot? The role of AI in service”. Journal of Service Research. 24(1): 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520902266.

Keeling, K.; McGoldrick, P. & Beatty, S. (2010). “Avatars as salespeople: Communication style, trust, and intentions”. Journal of Business Research. 63(8): 793-800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.12.015.

Kim, J.; Kim, J. & Johnson, K.K. (2010). “The customer-salesperson relationship and sales effectiveness in luxury fashion stores: The role of self monitoring”. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing. 1(4): 230-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2010.10593074.

Lee, K.M. (2004). “The multiple source efect and synthesized speech: Doubly-disembodied language as a conceptual framework”. Human Communication Research. 30(2): 182-207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2004.tb00730.x.

Lissitsa, S. & Kol, O. (2021). “Four generational cohorts and hedonic m-shopping: Association between personality traits and purchase intention”. Electronic Commerce Research. 21(2): 545-570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-019-09381-4.

McLean, G. & Osei-Frimpong, K. (2019). “Hey Alexa… examine the variables influencing the use of artificial intelligent in-home voice assistants”. Computers in Human Behavior. 99: 28-37. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2019.05.009.

Mimoun, M.S.B. & Poncin, I. (2015). “A valued agent: How ECAs affect website customers’ satisfaction and behaviors”. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 26: 70-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.05.008.

Mishra, A.; Shukla, A. & Sharma, S.K. (2022). “Psychological determinants of users’ adoption and word-of-mouth recommendations of smart voice assistants”. International Journal of Information Management. 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102413.

Nunnally Jr, J.C. (1970). Introduction to Psychological Measurement. McGraw-Hill.

Oliveira, E. (2021). “Understanding consumers’ acceptance of automated technologies in service encounters: Drivers of digital voice assistants adoption”. Journal of Business Research. 122: 180-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.08.058.

Pitardi, V. & Marriott, H.R. (2021). “Alexa, she’s not human but unveiling the drivers of consumers’ trust in voice-based artifcial intelligence”. Psychology & Marketing. 38(4): 626-642. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21457.

Roy, R. & Naidoo, V. (2021). “Enhancing chatbot effectiveness: The role of anthropomorphic conversational styles and time orientation”. Journal of Business Research. 126: 23-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.051.

Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E.L. (2024). “Self-determination theory”. In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (pp. 6229-6235). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Short, J.; Williams, E. & Christie, B. (1976). The Social Psychology of Telecommunications. London: John Wiley & Sons.

Shumanov, M. & Johnson, L. (2021). “Making conversations with chatbots more personalized”. Computers in Human Behavior. 117: 106627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106627.

Straub, D.W. (1994). “The effect of culture on it diffusion: E-mail and fax in Japan and the US”. Information Systems Research. 5(1): 23-47. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.5.1.23.

Thomaz, F.; Salge, C.; Karahanna, E. & Hulland, J. (2020). “Learning from the Dark Web: Leveraging conversational agents in the era of hyper-privacy to enhance marketing”. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 48(1): 43-63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00704-3.

Toader, D.C.; Boca, G.; Toader, R.; Măcelaru, M.; Toader, C.; Ighian, D. & Rădulescu, A.T. (2020). “The effect of social presence and chatbot errors on trust”. Sustainability. 12(1): 256. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010256.

van Dolen, W.M.; Dabholkar, P.A. & De Ruyter, K. (2007). “Satisfaction with online commercial group chat: the influence of perceived technology attributes, chat group characteristics, and advisor communication style”. Journal of Retailing. 83(3): 339-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2007.03.004.

Vimalkumar, M.; Sharma, S.K.; Singh, J.B. & Dwivedi, Y.K. (2021). “‘Okay google, what about my privacy?’: User's privacy perceptions and acceptance of voice based digital assistants”. Computers in Human Behavior. 120, 106763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106763.

Williams, K.C. & Spiro, R.L. (1985). “Communication style in the sales person customer dyad”. Journal of Market Research. 22: 434-442. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378502200408.

Zarouali, B.; Van den Broeck, E.; Walrave, M. & Poels, K. (2018). “Predicting consumer responses to a chatbot on Facebook”. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 21(8): 491-497. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0518.

Zumstein, D. & Hundertmark, S. (2017). “Chatbots--an interactive technology for personalized communication, transactions and services”. IADIS International Journal on WWW/Internet. 15(1). iadisportal.org/ijwi/papers/2017151107.pdf.