Do chatbots support consumer performance? Investigating the role of E-lifestyle and anthropomorphism in the service industry

• The social response theory, self-determination theory and attribution theory provides insight into using chatbots to support consumer performance in the service industry. • This research investigates e-lifestyle, customer experience, and chatbot competence, which are still unexamined in chatbots, and proves that each has a significant effect. • Anthropomorphism supports the improvement of chatbot capabilities based on customer perspectives. The growing implementation of chatbots in the service industry reflects continued innovation in this area. However, concerns persist regarding chatbot competence in addressing consumer inquiries, potentially hindering both the interaction experience and consumer performance. This study investigates the factors driving consumer performance in chatbot interactions. Data were collected via an online survey of 336 Indonesian consumers. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the structural model. The findings reveal that e-lifestyle significantly influences both chatbot experience and competence. Anthropomorphism significantly impacts chatbot experience, competence, and the resulting consumer performance. Moreover, both chatbot experience and competence significantly affect consumer performance. Furthermore, chatbot competence significantly shapes the user experience. This study contributes to both theoretical and practical understanding of chatbots within the service industry.