Investigating customers’ responses to artificial intelligence chatbots in online travel agencies: the moderating role of product familiarity

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine how consumers’ perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots influence individuals’ cognitive and emotional states and their subsequent behavioural intentions vis-à-vis online travel agencies (OTAs). Design/methodology/approach The survey sample comprised 566 customers who had experienced the use of travel AI chatbots in China using a combination of online and offline questionnaires. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results revealed that interaction and information quality, as AI chatbot stimuli, significantly increase potential tourists’ trust and purchase intention. Perceived usefulness plays a mediating role in the relationship among interactivity, information quality, customer trust and purchase intention. Furthermore, the findings indicated that customers with high product familiarity exhibited greater trust in products demonstrating a high level of perceived usefulness. Originality/value By integrating cognitive consistency theory, this study theoretically validates the applicability of the stimulus–organism–response framework on AI chatbots and provides academics with useful insights regarding the influence mechanisms of human–computer interaction and information quality on customer response within OTA settings.