Calming the customers by AI: Investigating the role of chatbot acting-cute strategies in soothing negative customer emotions

Tao Zhang (), Chao Feng (), Hui Chen () and Junjie Xian ()
Additional contact information
Tao Zhang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Chao Feng: Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Hui Chen: Ginling College, Nanjing Normal University
Junjie Xian: Northwestern Polytechnical University

Electronic Markets, 2022, vol. 32, issue 4, No 24, 2277-2292

Abstract: Abstract Although intelligent chatbot has been widely used in online customer service settings in modern E-business, scholars still have little understanding of the chatbot strategies implemented in product or service failure context. Aiming at this gap, this study explored whether, how, and when two chatbot acting-cute strategies (i.e. whimsical chatbot strategy and kindchenschema chatbot strategy) could soothe negative customer emotions when product or service failure happened. By using two experimental studies, the results demonstrated that both the whimsical chatbot strategy and the kindchenschema (baby schema) chatbot strategy could placate negative customer emotions via two mechanisms. In the high product or service failure severity context, the soothing effects of both strategies would weaken, while the kindchenschema chatbot strategy weakens less. The whimsical chatbot strategy is suitable for customers with high technology anxiety while the kindchenschema chatbot strategy is suitable for those who have low technology anxiety. The whimsical chatbot strategy was more effective with male customers than with female customers, while the kindchenschema chatbot strategy had the opposite effect. Finally, the theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Acting-cute strategies; Chatbot; Negative customer emotion; Product or service failure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12525-022-00596-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:elmark:v:32:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s12525-022-00596-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ystems/journal/12525

DOI: 10.1007/s12525-022-00596-2

Access Statistics for this article

Electronic Markets is currently edited by Rainer Alt and Hans-Dieter Zimmermann

More articles in Electronic Markets from Springer, IIM University of St. Gallen
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().