Abstract

This study focused on chatbots used in the context of online shopping through the development of artificial intelligence technology. This research was designed to investigate the interaction effects between the level of anthropomorphism and the message appeal type of the chatbot on the product purchase intention, focusing on the online shopping context. In the experiment, participants engaged in conversations with a virtual online shopping chatbot and were recommended products. They completed an online survey to indicate their intention to purchase the recommended products. The 2 x 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the interaction effect between the level of anthropomorphism and message appeal type on product purchase intentions. The results showed that the other-benefit appeal message had a positive effect on product purchase intention when the chatbot had a high level of anthropomorphism, whereas the self-benefit appeal message had a positive effect on product purchase intention when the chatbot had a low level of anthropomorphism. Based on these findings, this study expanded the results of existing studies and confirmed the boundary conditions applicable to the filed by conducting the experiment with chatbot similar to the actual online shopping chatbot. Therefore, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.