12. Humanizing Chatbots for Interactive Marketing

Chatbots, also known as conversational agents, are automated computer programs powered by natural language processing designed to engage consumers in interactive, one-on-one, personalized text- or voice-based conversations. Focusing on text-based, anthropomorphic social chatbots that can be easily implemented on various digital platforms, this chapter synthesizes the literature on computer-mediated communication and human–computer interaction to provide a comprehensive review of the pivotal factors that can enhance chatbots’ perceived humanness and the key considerations in consumer–chatbot interaction and relationship. Specifically, this chapter first discusses the research findings on the persuasiveness of computer-controlled chatbots in relation to human-controlled avatars. Then, the chapter delves into the various anthropomorphic cues used in chatbot design and messaging, including human identity cues, verbal, and non-verbal cues. Strategies and examples for chatbots to communicate humility in order to mitigate consumers’ frustration when chatbots fail to meet consumers’ expectations are also provided. The chapter next addresses some of the most widely studied mediators of chatbot anthropomorphism—social presence and parasocial interaction—and the under-researched role of emotion in consumer–chatbot interactions. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the “uncanny valley” effect pertaining to people’s feelings of eeriness toward highly human-like chatbots.