A Study on The Effect of Customers’ Experience with Serving Robots on Intimacy, Service Satisfaction, and Service Acceptance Intention: Focusing on Moderating Effect of Robot Anthropomorphism

Objective: This study examines key factors influencing customer satisfaction and the acceptance of serving robots, which are rapidly growing in the food service industry. Methods: The survey targeted customers who had dined at robot-serving restaurants at least once within in the past three months. For the final analysis, this study used a total of 350 valid responses. This study used two-step verification procedure within the structural equation model(SEM) to analyze the research model. Results: Enjoyment and interactivity positively influenced intimacy, which, in turn, enhanced satisfaction and acceptance intention. Anthropomorphism moderated the relationship between the intimacy and service satisfaction. Implications: Enhancing enjoyment and interactivity increased service satisfaction and acceptance. Since the impact of intimacy on satisfaction depends on anthropomorphism, strategies should focus on increasing human-like features in robot services to enhance user experience.