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How do consumers engage with proactive service robots? The roles of interaction orientation and corporate reputation

Dongmei Li (School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China)
Canmian Liu (School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China)
Lishan Xie (School of Business, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 6 June 2022

Issue publication date: 21 October 2022

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to apply the elaboration likelihood model to explore when, how and why robotic services increase customer engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

A field survey and two experiments were conducted to examine the proposed theoretical framework.

Findings

The robots’ proactive behavior encouraged customers to trust and engage with them. The influence of this behavior on customer engagement increased for highly interaction-oriented customers or when the reputations of companies were poor.

Practical implications

The findings can inform the efficient management of customer–robot interactions and thus support firms’ relationship marketing objectives.

Originality/value

The literature on robotic services has recognized that robots should be proactive to ensure positive customer experiences, but few studies have explored the relational outcomes of proactive robotic services. The authors’ in-depth empirical examination thus extends research into the role these services can play in fostering customer engagement.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable comments and suggestions of reviewers and the editor during the review process.

This research was supported by a grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.71902064) and a grant from the Humanity and Social Science Youth Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 19YJC630070) awarded to Dongmei Li and the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.72072187, No.71772186) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No.2021A1515011439) awarded to Lishan Xie.

Citation

Li, D., Liu, C. and Xie, L. (2022), "How do consumers engage with proactive service robots? The roles of interaction orientation and corporate reputation", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 34 No. 11, pp. 3962-3981. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2021-1284

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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