Autori
Cioppi, Marco
Curina, Ilaria
De Cicco, Roberta

Titolo
The Power of Chat: Intentions Toward AI E-Retail Agents
Periodico
Micro & macro marketing
Anno: 2025 - Volume: 100 - Fascicolo: 1 - Pagina iniziale: 91 - Pagina finale: 116

The development of AI-driven technologies offers unique opportunities for retailers to meet evolving customer needs and gain a competitive edge by providing personalized services to customers, but it also demands a radical evolution of company-customer interaction. AI in online retail includes the use of conversational technologies to improve customer engagement in one-to-one interaction with consumers. Despite empirical research on conversational technologies has seen substantial growth in recent years, there is a need to understand how user experience and online interaction habits influence AI agents’ usage and word-of-mouth intentions. To address this gap, based on the Technology Acceptance Model, this study investigates whether perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment impact the intentions toward AI e-retail agents in terms of electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) and usage intentions, and the moderating role of chat interaction frequency with human employees. Results from a sample of 208 users, analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling, indicate that ease of use impacts e-WOM rather than usage intentions. Perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment influence both usage intentions and e-WOM. Interestingly, the relationship between perceived enjoyment and e-WOM is moderated by the chat interaction frequency with employees. The findings shed light on the complex interplay between user experience, human-agent interactions, and their impact on online retail dynamics, offering valuable insights for businesses aiming to optimize AI-driven retailing strategies to enhance system usage and encourage positive referrals.



SICI: 1121-4228(2025)100:1<91:TPOCIT>2.0.ZU;2-Z
Testo completo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.1431/114638
Testo completo alternativo: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1431/114638

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