A literature review on users' behavioral intention toward chatbots' adoption

Abstract

Purpose: Despite the fact that chatbots have been largely adopted for the last few years, a comprehensive literature review research focusing on the intention of individuals to adopt chatbots is rather scarce. In this respect, the present paper attempts a literature review investigation of empirical studies focused on the specific issue in nine scientific databases during 2017-2021. Specifically, it aims to classify extant empirical studies which focus on the context of individuals' adoption intention toward chatbots. Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on PRISMA methodology, which revealed a total of 39 empirical studies examining users' intention to adopt and utilize chatbots. Findings: After a thorough investigation, distinct categorization criteria emerged, such as research field, applied theoretical models, research types, methods and statistical measures, factors affecting intention to adopt and further use chatbots, the countries/continents where these surveys took place as well as relevant research citations and year of publication. In addition, the paper highlights research gaps in the examined issue and proposes future research directions in such a promising information technology solution. Originality/value: As far as the authors are concerned, there has not been any other comprehensive literature review research to focus on examining previous empirical studies of users' intentions to adopt and use chatbots on the aforementioned period. According to the authors' knowledge, the present paper is the first attempt in the field which demonstrates broad literature review data of relevant empirical studies.