Creepiness: Its antecedents and impact on loyalty when interacting with a chatbot

Abstract Consumers sometimes describe their experience of interacting with artificial intelligence‐based human‐like chatbots as creepy. This study investigates the antecedents of creepiness (i.e., the chatbot's usability, privacy concerns, and user variables such as technology anxiety and the need for human interaction) and its impact on consumer loyalty. Grounded in the technology paradox, it deepens the understanding of creepiness in light of the theoretical underpinnings of the privacy paradox and privacy cynicism. Presented with the task of obtaining a car insurance quote, 430 consumers participated in a simulation involving interaction with a chatbot, followed by a questionnaire. The findings show that creepiness decreases loyalty and indirectly impacts it through trust and negative emotions. While usability reduces perceptions of creepiness, privacy concerns raised by the interaction with the chatbot increase creepiness, which is positively associated with consumer traits (i.e., technology anxiety and need for human interaction). The main contribution of the research lies in its focus on creepiness, a concept under‐researched in the marketing literature, and which can be seen from the perspective of a coping mechanism for consumers’ privacy concerns. This paper provides practical implications to orient managers in the design and implementation of chatbots, as a promising touch point to build customer loyalty.