Title: The consumer-human-like robot interaction framework

Authors: Penny M. Simpson, Jane LeMaster, Adesegun Oyedele

Addresses: College of Business Administration, The University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539–2999, USA. ' Center for Online Learning, Teaching and Technology, The University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539–2999, USA. ' St Cloud State University, Marketing and Business Law, Herberger College of Business, 720 4th Ave South, St. Cloud MN 56301, USA

Abstract: The proliferation of robots (especially human-like ones) and the movement toward Self-service Technologies (SSTs) suggest that robots be used to assist consumers in affecting commercial transactions. In the absence of research that examines consumer response to robots, this exploratory study was designed to combine the related theories and prior research from the technology and innovation adoption literatures with the results of the observations of individuals with a human-like robot, to develop a framework for understanding and examining individual and group reactions to a human-like robot in a consumer context. The insights gained from this study and the resulting testable propositions should provide researchers with a practical framework to initiate the study of individual-robot interaction in a consumer context.

Keywords: consumer behaviour; marketing services; interactive marketing; robots; innovation adoption; social actors; human-like robots; consumer response; robot-human interaction; technology marketing; self service technologies; SSTs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2008.021850

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2008 Vol.3 No.4, pp.305 - 324

Published online: 05 Dec 2008 *

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