Determinants of customer willingness toward chatbot-based online banking services: do perceived values and chatbot characteristics matter?

Purpose The paper aims to frame and examine a research model by associating the theory of consumption values (TCV) with chatbot characteristics to explicate attitudes and behavioral intentions toward banking chatbots (BCOs) and chatbot-based online banking services (COBSs) in an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 603 online banking customers and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings Results demonstrate that among TCV antecedents, emotional value exerts the most decisive influence on attitude, while novelty value is paramount to use intention toward BCOs. Furthermore, the role of chatbot characteristics (i.e. interactivity, perceived intelligence and personalization) in cultivating attitude and use intention is explored in BCOs. Additionally, this study affirms the close relationships among attitudes, use intention toward BCOs, and willingness to utilize COBSs across customers. Moreover, age and experience of using online banking are the crucial control variables that drive use intention toward BCOs. Originality/value This research attempts to demarcate an integrated model of TCV and key chatbot characteristics to illuminate the use intention toward BCOs. Our endeavor will add profound insights into how perceived values and inborn chatbot features induce customer engagement with BCOs for online banking services. Theoretically, these results seize the explanatory power of extensive TCV with control variables for BCO use intention in Vietnam. Furthermore, some crucial practical hints are offered to assist practitioners in sustaining the usage of BCOs and COBSs in developing countries.