Study on the Impact of Chatbot Characteristics of Online Shopping Mall on Customer Satisfaction and Reuse Intention in China: Hedonic Motivation and Utilitarian Motivation as Moderating Variables

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of chatbot characteristics on customer satisfaction and reuse intention. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study collected data from 259 customers with experience using chatbots on online shopping malls. Statistical programs SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 were used for data analysis in this study. The empirical analysis consisted of frequency analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and hypothesis testing, in that respective order. Findings – The results showed that chatbot characteristics (empathy, intimacy, accuracy, ease of use, social presence) and the relationship between customer satisfaction had a positive effect, and customer satisfaction had a positive effect on chatbot reuse intention. In addition, hedonic motivation showed a moderating effect on the relationship between accuracy, ease of use, and customer satisfaction, and utilitarian motivation showed a moderating effect on the relationship between accuracy and customer satisfaction. Research Implications – This paper divided the characteristics of chatbots into empathy, intimacy, accuracy, ease of use, and social presence, which provides a theoretical framework for future research on chatbots, and has certain reference value. The importance of consumer psychological variables is confirmed by analyzing hedonic motivation and utilitarian motivation as moderating variables. In addition, the results of this study are of great significance to the application and improvement of chatbots utilized by online shopping mall companies. In the online shopping mall environment, retailers can use chatbots as a communication supplementary strategy to participate in customer service and improve the efficiency of the customer shopping experience.