Effect of customer's perception on service robot acceptance

Abstract A service robot is a physical entity integrated with information technology (IT) which can autonomously provide customized services to people. While the use of robots is regarded as one of the most important trends in service marketing, customer acceptance is still a major barrier to their application in service scenarios. This study examines robot characteristics (anthropomorphism, autonomy) and customer characteristics (role clarity, ability) as antecedents affecting customer acceptance of service robots from the perspective of service encounters. Subsequently, the study develops a conceptual model based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). A sample of 406 respondents from an online survey in China was used to test the proposed conceptual model. The results show that anthropomorphism, autonomy, and ability are positively related to perceived usefulness, while autonomy, ability, and role clarity are positively related to perceived ease of use. Both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are significant antecedents of customer attitude. Customer attitude determines customer acceptance of service robots in service encounters. Our findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners.