Predicting continuance intention to use chatbots in tourism commercial websites

Purpose The study aims to shed light on the predictors of intention to continue using chatbots to purchase tourism products. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted on 360 consumers who had used a chatbot to purchase a tourism product in the last six months. The partial least squares method was used to analyze data. Findings The results showed that chatbot anthropomorphism promotes perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and enjoyment. It also enhances the chatbot continuance intention. This effect is reinforced when a user experiences a high level of perceived control. Similarly, information quality promotes perceived usefulness, while interaction quality has a positive impact on perceived ease of use. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and enjoyment lead to a positive attitude toward the chatbot, which in turn reinforces the continuance intention. Practical implications This study offers recommendations to tourism website managers regarding the characteristics of chatbots (anthropomorphic, informative and interactive) that are important to include for the user to intend to continue their use. Originality/value While most studies of chatbot focus on the determinants of adoption, our study goes a step further by shedding light on the factors explaining the chatbots’ continuance intention. To this end, two key theories of technology user behavior are used: Technology Adoption Model and Expectation Confirmation Model.