Influence of chatbots on purchase intention in social commerce

The research investigates the effects of chatbot-delivered verbal (inspirational appeals) and non-verbal (ingratiation) cues on customers’ purchase intentions on social commerce pages (study one). The research using a multi-method approach also investigates the role of social presence and ulterior motives in explaining the effects of the chatbot-delivered human-like cues on customers’ purchase intentions (study two). Study one employs an experiment, followed by a structural equation model in study two. The results of study two enable the researchers to triangulate the results of study one and to understand the underlying causes of those results. The data was collected through an online experiment and an online survey for the two studies. The research reports that: (1) inspirational appeals delivered by chatbots positively influence purchase intentions; (2) ingratiation delivered using double-tap by chatbots does not significantly affect purchase intentions. The current research represents one of the first attempts to explore the influence of inspirational appeal and ingratiation delivered through chatbots on s-commerce purchase intentions. The findings of the study provide managerial insights to social commerce pages that could help engage customers and circumvent the attribution of ulterior motives while making a sale.