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Can imagining the future repair trust? The impact of chatbots' trust repair on the continuous interaction intention in service failure

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  • Wang, Xueying
  • Zhang, Yuexian

Abstract

In the field of tourism, it is almost inevitable for chatbots to encounter service failures. After a chatbot experiences a service failure, how to conduct effective service recovery is crucial for retaining consumers. Whether a chatbot can enhance continuous interaction intention by enabling customers to envision the time-course of successful service remains unknown. This study aims to discuss the different impacts of chatbots' trust repair, namely ego-moving and event-moving on continuous interaction intention. Three studies were conducted in the study to examine the impact of chatbots' trust repair on continuous interaction intention. Additionally, the mediating roles of system trust, as well as the moderating roles of tourism type and failure type, were analyzed. The research findings indicate that ego-moving trust repair can more effectively stimulate continuous interaction intention compared with event-moving trust repair, with system trust playing mediating roles in this influence process. Further analysis revealed that this effect is moderated by tourism type and failure type. Specifically, for leisure tourism, ego-moving trust repair is more likely to stimulate their continuous interaction intention through system trust. In contrast, for business tourism, event-moving trust repair is more effective. Moreover, when a information failure occurs, ego-moving trust repair is more likely to trigger continuous interaction intention through system trust. However, in the case of an system failure, the opposite is true. This study has linked the research on chatbots' trust repair and time metaphor, thereby providing a new perspective on how chatbots can conduct service recovery.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Xueying & Zhang, Yuexian, 2025. "Can imagining the future repair trust? The impact of chatbots' trust repair on the continuous interaction intention in service failure," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:87:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925002164
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104437
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