When Female (Male) Robot Is Talking To Me: Effect of service robots’ gender and anthropomorphism on customer satisfaction

Along with the popularity of service robots in various service settings, service robots are often gendered as either female or male. This study examines the role of service robots’ gender and level of anthropomorphism of service robots on pleasure and customer satisfaction at service encounters. A 2 gender of service robots (female/male) X 2 level of anthropomorphism (low/high) between-subject factorial design is employed to test hypotheses using a scenario-based experimental survey. Results of the proposed moderated mediation model suggests that female service robots generated more pleasure and higher satisfaction compared to that of male service robots, and its influence is amplified when the level of anthropomorphism is high rather than low. Findings highlight the benefit of female service robots in a hotel setting which is only effective when the service robot is humanized, which provides useful guidelines for hoteliers when applying service robots in their service settings.