It’s a Match! The effects of chatbot anthropomorphization and chatbot gender on consumer behavior

Adnan Zogaj, Philipp M. Mähner, Linyu Yang and Dieter K. Tscheulin

Journal of Business Research, 2023, vol. 155, issue PA

Abstract: Chatbots are increasingly used as substitutes for human service agents in online shops. This has led researchers to analyze how chatbot characteristics influence consumer responses. However, while the relevance of chatbot characteristics has been examined, to date, consumers’ personalities have remained unattended in the research on this innovative mode of online support. Therefore, this study aims to understand how the interaction of consumer characteristics and chatbot characteristics influences consumer behavior. In doing so, we focus on how chatbots’ visual cues (i.e., anthropomorphization, gender) influence consumer behavior while also considering consumers’ self-concept. To answer the research question, we first conceptually discuss why consumer behavior depends on perceived self-congruence between consumers and a chatbot, which can be reached by anthropomorphizing chatbots and giving them the “right” gender. Subsequently, based on multiple studies, we empirically test the hypotheses considering male, female, and non-binary consumers. Our results demonstrate the relevance of both chatbot anthropomorphization and chatbot gender.

Keywords: Chatbot; Anthropomorphism; Self-congruence; Self-concept; Gender effects; Purchase intention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:155:y:2023:i:pa:s0148296322008773

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113412

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