The Impact of Artificial Intelligence Voice Assistants on Consumer Experience Based on the Cognitive-Affective-Conative Model

The COVID-19 epidemic has further increased the number of customer digital application experience scenarios. AI voice assistants and their integration with different application scenarios are increasingly influencing the customer experience formed throughout the social customer journey. Less is known about the impact of AI voice assistant‘s use on consumer experience and the process of the consumer's virtual consumption journey. Based on the cognitive-affective-conative model, this study analyzes the relationships among anthropomorphism, rapport, entertainment, perceived cost, perceived benefit, and emotion on consumer adoption intentions and rejection behaviors. Through an online survey of 328 respondents, the study suggests that anthropomorphism increases consumers' perceived costs, and rapport and entertainment increase consumers' perceived benefits. Among them, anthropomorphism has a negative impact on the cognitive appraisal of the virtual consumer journey, and entertainment is the most important influencing factor of the AI voice assistant consumer experience. Emotion is a mediating variable between the cognitive evaluation of perceived benefits and perceived costs and consumer behavioral outcomes. The study contributes to the understanding of the influencing factors and constructs a theoretical model of a multi-stage consumer virtual experience to represent the interplay of cognition and emotion.