Drivers of Intentions Towards Continued Use of Digital Voice Assistants: The Moderating Role of Service Experience

This study examines the critical factors influencing customers’ trust, engagement, their intention to continue using AI-powered digital assistants. Data was collected from 505 digital assistant users and analysed using structural equation framework in AMOS. The results show that utilitarian and hedonic benefits, anthropomorphism, and the need for human interaction significantly explain customer engagement. Moreover, all these factors, except for the need for human interaction, influence customers’ trust in digital assistants. The study’s findings indicate that customer experience positively moderates the impact of utilitarian and hedonic values on customer trust. However, while customer engagement exerts a positive moderating impact on the hedonic-engagement relationship, its impact on the utilitarian-engagement relationship is negative. These findings shed light on the boundary conditions under which utilitarian and hedonic benefits influence customers’ trust in and engagement with AI-based digital voice assistants, as well as how trust and engagement impact continuance intention.