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Hello, [Your Name]: Why Name‐Based Personalization Enhances Chatbot Effectiveness

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Organizations increasingly adopt chatbots as strategic tools to engage with consumers and strengthen brand outcomes. This study explores how chatbots that use name‐based personalization in their communications can more efficiently influence consumer behavior towards the brand. Across five experimental studies, we demonstrate that name‐based personalization within chatbot messages enhance perceptions of chatbot sincerity and brand sincerity, leading to more favorable consumer attitudes and higher purchase intentions toward the brand. The effect of personalization on perceived chatbot sincerity is mediated via perceived anthropomorphism. Further, we identify a few boundary conditions for the positive effects of name‐based personalization, namely chatbot performance and perceived overuse of name‐based personalization. These findings contribute to the literature on personalization, anthropomorphism, branding, and the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) theory, and offer practical implications for marketers seeking to design effective chatbots for brands.

Source: Psychology and Marketing

DOI: 10.1002/mar.70251

Authors: Ji Min Lee, Vivian Pontes, Saira Raza Khan, Pham Van Hau

Institutions: University of Waikato, University of Technology Sydney, University of Auckland, Unitec Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: AI in Service Interactions

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,800

OpenAlex ID: W7204492734

FWCI:

Cites: 99

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