The use of conversational AI chatbot by Gen Z in managing financial behavior: interplay between financial knowledge and customer engagement
Ree Chan Ho, Muslim Amin, Irfah Najihah Basir Malan, Chee Hoo WongPurpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of customer engagement derived from conversational AI chatbot and explain what drives the customer learning process in achieving desirable financial behavior for Gen Z.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the absorptive capacity (AC) and the uses and gratification theories, this study investigated Gen Z consumers from Malaysia who used the conversational AI features. Data was collected via a questionnaire and analyzed with a variance-based structured equation modeling technique.
Findings
A new integrative framework combining uses and gratification and AC theories was developed. The finding of this study contributes to enhancing the two theories in the use of AI chatbot for cultivating financial management behavior. The results of this study validated that customer engagement serves as a precursor to enriching AC for product learning in molding financial management behavior. In addition, this study confirmed that utilitarian, social and hedonic gratifications from UGC theory are crucial for deeper customer immersion in the use of conversational AI chatbot.
Originality/value
This study provides a theoretical understanding of customer engagement required for attaining financial product knowledge under the learning capabilities of conversational AI. This study also explains how to cultivate financial management behavior with the use of conversational AI for financial customer services, which is missing in the extant literature.