From tasks to partnerships: A typology of consumer–bot experiences

Christian Hildebrand and Anouk Bergner

Chapter 10 in Handbook of Social Psychology and Consumer Behavior, 2026, pp 130-145 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter presents a typology of consumer–bot experiences in the marketplace. Drawing on prior work in social psychology and human–computer interaction, we develop a typology of four distinct types of consumer–bot experiences: instrumental, focused on efficient task completion; collaborative, centered on joint problem-solving; social, oriented toward relationship building; and augmentative, aimed at enhancing human capabilities. We discuss how these distinct experiences emerge from the intersection of exchange type (functional to communal) and people's predominant interaction focus (restricted to expansive). This typology helps explain why similar bots create different experiences for different consumers and why the same consumer might engage differently with a bot across contexts. We further discuss the theoretical foundations, marketplace applications, and future research directions for each experience type.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Generative AI; Chatbots; AI companions; Experience design; Anthropomorphism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035327591
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