Transforming retail with humanoid service robots: exploring the impact of customer mindsets on value co-creation via perceived robot anthropomorphism and the moderating roles of robotic service proactivity and customer emotional intelligence

Muhammad Zubair Tariq, Rui Wang and Jing Song

The Service Industries Journal, 2026, vol. 46, issue 1-2, 126-152

Abstract: As humanoid service robots become more prevalent in retail, understanding customer psychology is vital for fostering value co-creation. Grounded in implicit mindset theory and service-dominant logic, this study contributes by framing customer mindsets as operant resources that influence perceptions and engagement in AI-enabled robotic service ecosystems. Survey data from 420 Chinese retail customers show that a growth mindset enhances both perceived anthropomorphism and value co-creation, while a fixed mindset inhibits them. Further, perceived robot anthropomorphism partially mediates these effects, offering empirical support for the perceptual mechanisms linking customer mindsets and co-creation. However, robotic proactivity and customer emotional intelligence do not significantly moderate the mindset and co-creation relationship, suggesting that individual psychological traits may outweigh contextual factors. These findings enhance the understanding of cognitive drivers influencing engagement with humanoid service robots in retail, extending implicit mindset and service-dominant logic theories. Practical insights support anthropomorphic design and mindset-based interaction strategies for effective AI-driven retail experiences.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/02642069.2025.2562513

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The Service Industries Journal is currently edited by Eileen Bridges, Professor Domingo Ribeiro, Ronald Goldsmith, Barry Howcroft and Youjae Yi

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