Exploring the user experience and improvement strategies of AI chatbots on China’s Meituan instant retail platform from the perspective of generation Z users

Abstract Artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming traditional service models. In recent years, AI chatbots have gradually become a common smart service on instant retail platforms. However, existing research still lacks sufficient understanding of users’ actual experiences when using this type of AI service primarily based on intelligent interaction. This study focuses on the AI chatbots on Meituan’s instant retail platform, examines the experiences and conditions of Generation Z when using AI chatbots, and proposes strategies and recommendations for improving the user experience. The study examined the research questions by combining user interviews, the KANO model, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The main findings are as follows: Generation Z has the highest demand for the intelligent interaction experience provided by AI chatbots. At the same time, the degree of importance of needs such as personalized AI chatbot avatar, humanized AI interaction, AI personalized recommendations, and intelligent emotional perception interaction is relatively high. This indicates that Generation Z’s demands for AI chatbots have already expanded from simple needs such as consulting about products and orders to diversified online personalized consumption experiences. For example, inquiring about the usage rules of platform coupons, receiving intelligent recommendations based on personal dietary habits, and other diversified online lifestyles. Based on this, this study proposes experience enhancement strategies for optimizing the dialogue mechanism between users and AI chatbots, improving the anthropomorphic level of the interface dialogue mechanism, providing visualized presentation of intelligent service progress, and providing functional settings for user privacy protection. This study offers new insights into improving the user experience of AI chatbots on instant retail platforms.