The Influence of Chatbots Adoption on Customer Loyalty in the Foodservice Sector

Chatbots are transforming how businesses interact with customers. Using natural language processing and AI-enabled technology, chatbots provide customers with an automated, personalized, and intuitive experience that offers convenience and fast responses. As a result, the adoption of chatbots is claimed to enhance customer experience and increase customers’ loyalty. Despite this advantage, the adoption of chatbots is still relatively low in foodservice sector in Indonesia. The reason is most likely because many customers and business owners have yet to become accustomed to this type of technology. As a result, the adoption of chatbots is still in the preliminary stages at this point. Subsequently, it is yet unknown whether implementation of technology can influence a consumer’s loyalty in foodservice sector, especially in Indonesia. This study aimed to examine the impact of chatbot adoption on customer loyalty in the food service industry. One hundred ninety-five people were surveyed to test the suggested hypothesis. The results of the analysis showed support for each of the hypotheses that were proposed. The research found that chatbots’ perceived ease of use positively affects food- service customer’s loyalty. Also, this research revealed that chatbots’ perceived usefulness positively affects food- service customer’s loyalty. Additionally, chatbots’ perceived effectiveness positively affects foodservice customer’s loyalty. The findings are expected to inform food service businesses and other service companies in regard to the importance of chatbots implementation and its positive impact on customer loyalty. Lastly, the result aims to contribute to the literature that focuses on the adoption of chatbots in the tourism and hospitality industry, especially in the context of hospitality businesses in Indonesia.