Understanding consumers’ acceptance of automated technologies in service encounters: Drivers of digital voice assistants adoption

Customers increasingly orchestrate their everyday activities with the support of technology, with services increasingly adopting AI-based applications. Yet, research is still in its infancy and has been largely conceptual. Therefore, based on data collected from 238 young consumers, analyzed using PLS-SEM, this study focuses on users’ motivations to adopt intelligent digital voice assistants in service encounters. Findings show that functional, social and relational elements drive adoption, untangle crossover effects between them and reveal the moderating role of experience and need for human interaction. While empirically validating and extending the Service Robot Acceptance Model by Wirtz and colleagues, this study provides evidence that anthropomorphism is not universally positive and adds a new perspective regarding the underexplored role of customer-robot rapport building. The study contributes to a more holistic understanding of digital voice assistants’ adoption and provides managerial guidance on how to successfully implement such technologies.