Consumer Preferences For Human Versus Robotic Labor: the Role of Symbolic Consumption
- Autor(en)
- Stefano Puntoni, Armin Granulo, Christoph Fuchs
- Abstrakt
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics enable firms to replace humans with modern technology, leading to a radical transformation in the production and consumption of goods and services. In the service domain, robots are used to communicate and interact with consumers in a wide variety of contexts, including stores, restaurants, and hotels. By 2025, it is predicted that 95% of all customer interactions will be powered by some form of AI or robotics. While research has started to shed light on this transformation (Castelo, Bos, and Lehmann 2019; de Bellis and Johar 2020; Granulo, Fuchs, and Puntoni 2019; Mende et al. 2019; Schmitt 2019), we are only beginning to understand its multifaceted consequences for consumers. The four papers in this session aim to improve this understanding by answering the following key question: What are the psychological consequences of robotic replacement for consumers? The first paper by Puntoni, Granulo, and Fuchs examines for which products consumers prefer robotic versus human labor. It shows that consumers value human (vs. robotic) labor more for products with higher symbolic value, as it lends products unique qualities in the eyes of consumers. The second paper by Van Doorn and Holthoewer examines for which products consumers prefer robotic versus human service providers. It shows that consumers are more accepting of a robotic service provider when acquiring embarrassing products because they feel less judged by a robot than by a human. The third paper by Castelo et al. examines the downstream consequences of robotic versus human service providers for firms.
- Organisation(en)
- Externe Organisation(en)
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, Technische Universität München
- Journal
- Advances in Consumer Research
- Band
- 48
- Seiten
- 1052-1057
- ISSN
- 0098-9258
- Publikationsdatum
- 2020
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 502019 Marketing
- Schlagwörter
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/a750d7a0-de43-4d5a-adf4-a943212714a1