Abstract
PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of AI service robots on restaurant customers' engagement and acceptance and the moderating role of robot anthropomorphism on the relationship between AI robot service quality and customer engagement.Design/methodology/approachUsing a three-wave time-lagged design, 416 customers of service robots-enabled restaurants participated in the study. Mplus was used to examine the hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirmed that customers' perception regarding automation, personalization, efficiency and precision of robot service quality determine customer engagement, which further influences customer acceptance of AI service robots. Additionally, robot anthropomorphism moderates the relationships between AI robot service quality in terms of automation, personalization, efficiency and precision and customer engagement. This study confirms that AI service robots-customer engagement contributes to better acceptance of AI service robots.Practical implicationsThe proposed framework can be used as a diagnostic tool to enhance customer acceptance of AI service robots in restaurant settings. This research provides guidelines to restaurant owners to employ AI service robots in front-line services that provide better quality, ultimately enhancing customer engagement and acceptance.Originality/valueThis study fills the gap in the literature by investigating the influence of AI robot service quality on customer engagement and customer acceptance with the moderating effect of robot anthropomorphism in an emerging market context.
Reference84 articles.
1. Public acceptance of fundamental rights via a telepresence robot and a video call stand in South Korea;International Journal of Social Robotics,2018
2. BBC news (2014), “China restaurant introduces robot waiters”, available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-30460737/china-restaurant-introduces-robot-waiters (accessed 30 December 2022).
3. The impact of CEOs' transformational leadership on sustainable organizational innovation in SMEs: a three-wave mediating role of organizational learning and psychological empowerment;Sustainability,2020
4. AI service robot implementation: a theoretical framework and research agenda;The Service Industries Journal,2020
5. BIS Infotech (2022), “Leaders on robotics market in India”, available at: https://www.bisinfotech.com/leaders-on-robotics-market-in-india-perspective/ (accessed 5 November 2022).
Cited by
23 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献