Conversational Commerce : A Quantitative Study on Preferences towards AI-Fueled C-Commerce Platforms among Digital Natives in Sweden and Germany

Abstract: Background: E-commerce is widespread in today’s shopping routines and conversational commerce (CC) as an expansion, aims at integrating customers and businesses on a whole new level. Through the application of chatbots fueled by artificial intelligence, a more personal and individual way of remote shopping is offered. Purpose: Our research question What potential attributes of AI-fueled CC applications and their possible inherent characteristics are determining the willingness to use them and to what extent, in the context of digital natives living in Sweden and Germany? aims at identifying the demanded attributes of conversational commerce from a consumer perspective. Method: We facilitate a quantitative questionnaire with 118 valid answers to administer a traditional full-profile conjoint analysis. Conclusion: Our results indicate that German digital natives deem a CC application’s behavior as the most important attribute, followed by payment method, personality and communication form (voice or text). The Swedish digital natives however, attach the most importance to the payment method, followed by behavior, communication form and personality. Both have in common that they prefer a rather passive behavior over being actively approached, a personality that is balanced between humor and seriousness and text-based communication over voice. A difference is the Swedish preference for direct in-app payment while German digital natives would select a redirection to a secondary payment provider (e.g. PayPal).