Research on the Influence of Chatbot Communication Style on Consumer Comfort

With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, chatbots have replaced artificial services in more and more service scenarios. However, research on how to design the communication style of chatbots in this new service scenario to ensure consumer comfort is still weak. Through four experimental studies, this paper deeply analyzes the influence mechanism of different communication styles of chatbots (social-oriented vs task-oriented) on consumer comfort. The results show that compared with task-oriented communication style, social-oriented communication style can lead to higher consumer comfort; Perceived warmth and Perceived competence play a mediating role in the influence of chatbot communication style on consumers’ comfort. However, consumer self-construal and service attributes play a moderating role in the influence of chatbot communication style on consumer comfort. The conclusions of this study not only enrich the relevant research on the relationship between chatbot communication style and consumer comfort in service scenarios, but also provide effective practical guidance for enterprises how to design and choose appropriate chatbot communication style.