Effects of voice assistant recommendations on consumer behaviour

Abstract

The present study compares the influence of text-based recommendations; traditionally known as online consumer reviews, and the influence of voice-based recommendations provided by voice-driven virtual assistants on consumer behaviours. Based on media richness theory, the research model investigates how voice vs. text modality influences consumers’ perceptions of credibility and usefulness, as well as their behavioural intentions and actual behaviours. In addition, the study analyses if these relationships vary based on the type of product and compares the influence of masculine and feminine voices. Two studies were conducted using between- subjects experimental designs, PLS-SEM and logistic regression. The core finding is that voice- based recommendations are more effective than online consumer reviews in altering consumer behaviours. In addition, the first study showed that the influence of recommendations on behavioural intentions is mediated by consumers’ perceptions of their credibility and usefulness. The second study confirmed, in a realistic setting, that voice-based recommendations affect consumer choices to a greater extent. Recommendations for search products and provided by males are also found to be more effective. These results contribute to the voice assistant and e- WOM literature by highlighting the effectiveness of voice-based recommendations in predicting consumer behaviours, confirming that credibility and usefulness are key factors that determine the influence of recommendations, and showing that recommendations are more effective when they focus on search products.