In today’s e-commerce world, AI assistants or chatbots are becoming more and more common. But what makes people decide whether to use them or not? Our PhD research takes a close look at this question, considering the views of both those who already use these AI assistants and those who don’t.
I. Research Approaches
1. Using Different Methods
- Quantitative Approach: We collected numerical data by asking people questions. Like how often they use AI e-commerce assistants and rating their satisfaction levels on a scale. This helped us see patterns and trends in how people interact with these assistants. For example, we could find out if people who shop more online are more likely to use AI assistants.
- Qualitative Approach: Along with numbers, we also talked to people face-to-face or through interviews. We asked them to share their real experiences and thoughts about using or not using AI assistants. They told us things like what they liked or didn’t like about how the assistants answered their questions or helped with shopping.
II. Key Factors
1. From the Consumer’s Point of View
- Ease of Use: If an AI assistant is easy to understand and interact with, consumers are more likely to use it. For instance, if it can clearly answer questions in simple language and guide them through the shopping process smoothly, people will feel comfortable using it.
- Perceived Usefulness: When customers see that the AI assistant can actually help them find the right products, get better deals, or solve problems quickly, they are more inclined to use it. Like if it recommends products based on their past purchases and they end up liking those suggestions, that’s a big plus.
2. From the Societal Aspect
- Trust: In society, people need to trust that their personal information is safe when using these AI assistants. If they believe the e-commerce platform protects their data well and the AI won’t misuse it, they’ll be more open to using it. Also, if others around them say good things about using AI assistants, that can influence them too.
- Social Acceptance: If using AI assistants in e-commerce becomes a common and accepted thing in society, more people will feel okay about trying them out. For example, if most of their friends or family members are using these assistants and having good experiences, they’ll probably follow suit.
3. From the Marketing Perspective
- Advertising and Promotion: How the e-commerce platforms promote these AI assistants matters. If they show clearly what the assistants can do and how they can make shopping better through ads or on their websites, it catches people’s attention. For example, highlighting features like 24/7 customer service provided by the AI assistant can attract more users.
- Brand Reputation: A well-known and trusted e-commerce brand is more likely to get people to use its AI assistant. If consumers have always had good experiences with a brand’s products and services, they’ll be more willing to give its AI assistant a chance.
III. Findings
1. Supporting Research Hypotheses
All the factors we found really do have a big impact on both users and non-users in the e-commerce setting. This means our initial ideas and guesses about what influences people’s decisions to use AI assistants were right, which helps build a stronger understanding of this topic.
2. Offering Useful Information to Practitioners
- Making Informed Decisions: The new data and insights from our study give e-commerce practitioners valuable information. They can use this to make smarter choices when developing and putting AI assistant technologies into use. For example, they can focus on improving the ease of use or building trust to encourage more people to use the assistants.
- Improving Business Operations: By knowing what customers care about, e-commerce businesses can adjust how they manage and promote their AI assistants, which in turn can lead to better customer experiences and more successful use of these helpful tools.
Our research shows that there are several important factors that affect whether people will use AI e-commerce assistants or not. By looking at it from different angles like the consumer, societal, and marketing perspectives, we hope to help e-commerce platforms make these assistants even better and more widely used in the future.
