Examining the role of AI – enabled voice assistants in affecting consumer motivations for online shopping: the mediating factors role awe experience, price value, sales promotion, and E–WOM

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is transforming the online shopping industry. Some retailers offer AI-enabled voice assistants to facilitate online shoppers. AI-enabled voice assistants, as one of the most prevalent AI technologies, are poised to alter customers‘ purchasing experiences yet we have a limited grasp of their effects on enhancing the purchase intentions of online shoppers. This study employs a novel theoretical model grounded in consumer innovativeness, broaden-and-built theory, and stimulus-organism-response model to investigate the impact of motivated consumer innovativeness to use AI-enabled voice assistants on online shoppers‘ purchase intentions and awe experience. The model was evaluated with survey data from 300 digital voice assistant customers. The data was examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). PLS-SEM revealed that awe experience, price value, sales promotion, and eWOM mediate the relationship between the role of AI-enabled voice assistants (Functional, Hedonic, Social, and Cognitive MCI) and voice shoppers‘ perceptions of purchase intentions. The results from fsQCA results suggest that multiple, distinct, and equally effective combinations of functional MCI, hedonic MCI, social MCI, cognitive MCI, awe experience, price value, sales promotion, and E–WOM exist to achieve high intention to purchase. Seven solutions are presented that lead to high intention to purchase. The study complements to existing literature on consumer innovativeness, AI-based voice assistants, and online buying. These findings can help businesses enhance their usage of voice assistants for online consumers.