Revealing the relationships of trust in chatbot applications in the accommodation sector with consumer innovativeness and purchase intention

Objective: The approaches of innovative consumers who have benefited from the chatbot applications of accommodation businesses operating in Istanbul to chatbot applications have been examined. The aim of the research is to determine whether there is a relationship between consumers' trust in chatbot applications and their level of innovativeness and purchase intentions.Method: The sample of the research was reached by convenience sampling method and the questionnaire application was carried out. 417 usable questionnaires were obtained and then the data were analyzed by correlation analysis and difference tests.Originality/Relevance: There is a lack of studies linking consumer innovativeness and trust in chatbot applications, especially in tourism and hospitality research. This research is one of the first attempts to empirically examine the use of chatbot applications, an artificial intelligence technology platform, in hospitality businesses and to empirically examine consumers' trust in the technology and their level of innovativeness along with their purchase intentions.Main results: The results of the research revealed that there is no significant relationship between the "benevolence dimension" of trust in chatbot applications and consumer innovativeness; however, there is a significant relationship between the "competence dimension" and the "honesty dimension" of trust and consumer innovativeness. Similar findings were found between trust in chatbot applications and purchase intention.Theoretical/methodological contributions: Although the results of this research represent a limited area, they show the gap in the relevant literature and provide important clues to industry pioneers.