Consumer Behavior

Effects of Shopping Robot Warmth on Interaction Comfort and Use Intention

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Abstract

Despite the growing attention of the humanoid retail service robot, consumers still seem uncomfortable interacting with robots in a shopping environment. Based on social cognition research and the PAD model, this study focuses on the impact of shopping robot warmth on consumer interaction responses through emotional states (i.e., pleasure, arousal, and dominance). A scenario-based online experiment was conducted using video clips of customer interaction with a warm (vs. cold) shopping robot in the context of fashion retail. The results indicate that a warm shopping robot positively influences customer pleasure and dominance. In particular, the pleasure enhances robot likability and interaction comfort, consequently bolstering customer intention to use the shopping robot. This paper is the first study to apply social perception theory and the PAD model to shopping robots, proposing a model that elucidates how the warmth of shopping robots shape consumers' emotional and behavioral responses in human-robot interactions.

Keywords: shopping robot, warmth, PAD model, consumer-robot interaction

How to Cite:

An, Y. & Im, H., (2024) “Effects of Shopping Robot Warmth on Interaction Comfort and Use Intention”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17503