The Effects of Chatbot Characteristics on Satisfaction and Continuance Intention: The Moderating Role of the Need for Human Interaction
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study investigates how two key characteristics of AI-enabled chatbots in mobile banking applications—perceived intelligence and perceived anthropomorphism—influence users’ cognitive and hedonic evaluations, namely perceived usefulness, confirmation, and perceived enjoyment, and how these evaluations subsequently shape user satisfaction and continuance intention. Grounded in the Expectation–Confirmation Model (ECM), the study also examines the moderating role of users’ need for interaction with service employees in these relationships. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured survey from 402 users of AI-enabled mobile banking applications in Türkiye. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and moderated mediation effects were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 58). The results reveal that perceived intelligence positively affects perceived anthropomorphism, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and confirmation, while perceived anthropomorphism further reinforces these effects. Cognitive and emotional evaluations significantly enhance user satisfaction, which in turn strongly predicts continuance intention toward chatbot usage. Moreover, the need for interaction with service employees significantly moderates the indirect effects of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and confirmation on satisfaction and continuance intention. By extending the expectation–confirmation model with both cognitive and emotional dimensions, this study offers novel insights into user-centered chatbot design in mobile banking and highlights the importance of individual differences in shaping sustained technology use.
Authors: Mutlu Yüksel Avcılar, Gülhan Yenilmez
Institution: Osmaniye Korkut Ata University
Language: English
Topic: AI in Service Interactions
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W7154737261