Decoding ambivalence: The potential of cue-based design for Customer Facing Technologies

Abstract

When not effectively addressed, ambivalence in customers can lead to various negative outcomes, such as decreased loyalty or purchase intent. Despite this, current research has yet to account for approaches that govern ambivalent customer behavior. To close this gap, we introduce a novel research conceptualization that considers a customer’s engagement with technology as an interaction with instrumental, symbolic, identity, and aesthetic cues. Building on the results of a hermeneutic literature review and construction of a pathway model, we demonstrate the potential of a cue-based design approach for Customer Facing Technologys (CFTs). The cue-based design emphasizes the reinforcing or oppositional interactions of signals surrounding the engagement with technology, making it possible to address ambivalence. Ultimately, we propose reconsidering the way CFTs are currently investigated in research to help explain deviations in customer behavior.