Examining the interplay of chatbot interactivity and anthropomorphic design for enhancing brand relationships in service businesses

The current research examines how elements of chatbot design influence not only consumers' perceptions and responses but also the processes by which they promote online-to-offline behavioral intention toward service brands. Focusing on the coffee service business, a study following a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design was conducted. Among the findings, the impact of interactivity on chatbot- and brand-related outcomes depended on the anthropomorphic conversational style employed; interactions with the warm, high-interactivity (vs. low-interactivity) chatbot enhanced the sense of social presence, whereas interactions with the competent, low-interactivity (vs. high-interactivity) chatbot promoted brand-related behavioral intention. Moreover, as the moderated serial mediation model demonstrated, although increased social presence shaped components of brand relationship quality (i.e. brand partner quality and brand attachment), only brand partner quality bolstered the intention to patronize the brand. The significant moderated indirect effect suggests that a warm, highly interactive chatbot design can strengthen social presence and thereby improve brand partner quality and raise the likelihood of offline patronage. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.