The Manipulative Effects in the Technology-Facilitated Preservice Tipping Experience

Drawing on persuasion theory and persuasion knowledge theory, this research evaluates the technology-facilitated preservice tipping practices and tipping enhancement strategies currently employed by food ordering and delivery service platforms such as Uber Eats. The findings from two empirical experimental studies show that, in the technology-facilitated preservice tipping encounter, the presence of a reason to tip increases customers’ tipping amount and lowers their inferred manipulative intent of tipping. The lowered inferred manipulative intent of tipping reduces dissatisfaction with the payment experience and enhanced intention to use such a payment app for future service. However, the adoption of additional server personalization attenuates the positive impact of providing tipping reason on the inferred manipulative intent, dissatisfaction with the payment experience and intention to use such a payment app for future service. The research findings offer practical implications to contemporary hospitality practitioners when facing the emerging technology-facilitated preservice tipping encounters, reminding the marketers about customers’ awareness of and reactance toward firms’ persuasion efforts to make customer spend more.