Emotional Responses to AI Chatbots in Online Travel Agencies: An S-O-R Perspective

This study examines whether emotional bonds are essential for AI chatbots to influence consumers’ purchase intentions within online travel agencies. Utilizing the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework, this study analyzes how chatbot empathy and emotional credibility are associated with users’ emotions, subsequently impacting emotional attachment, satisfaction, customer experience, and purchase intention. Data from 409 users with prior AI chatbot experience were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that empathy and emotional credibility are significantly positively associated with positive emotional responses, which in turn strengthen emotional attachment, satisfaction, and customer experience. Notably, emotional attachment does not significantly associate with purchase intention, while satisfaction and customer experience are identified as the stronger predictors of behavioral intention. The findings extend the application of the S-O-R framework by suggesting that, in the OTA context, purchase intention is more closely associated with satisfaction and customer experience than with emotional attachment.