Get Close to the Robot: The Effect of Risk Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic on Customer–Robot Engagement

Jifei Wu, Xiangyun Zhang, Yimin Zhu and Grace Fang Yu-Buck
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Jifei Wu: School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 135, Xingang Xi Road, Guangzhou 510275, China
Xiangyun Zhang: School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 135, Xingang Xi Road, Guangzhou 510275, China
Yimin Zhu: School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 135, Xingang Xi Road, Guangzhou 510275, China
Grace Fang Yu-Buck: School of Business and Technology, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer–robot engagement in the Chinese hospitality industry. Analysis of a sample of 589 customers using service robots demonstrated that the perceived risk of COVID-19 has a positive influence on customer–robot engagement. The positive effect is mediated by social distancing and moderated by attitudes towards risk. Specifically, the mediating effect of social distancing between the perceived risk of COVID-19 and customer–robot engagement is stronger for risk-avoiding (vs. risk-seeking) customers. Our results provide insights for hotels when they employ service robots to cope with the shock of COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; service robot; risk perception; customer engagement; protection motivation theory; social distancing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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