Factors Influencing the Intention to Use AI Chatbots in E-Commerce Customer Service
Main Article Content
Abstract
While Vietnamese e-commerce has quickly integrated AI tools into customer service, the actual uptake of chatbots hinges on how shoppers in this market appraise their value and experience. In Vietnam, where online shopping is growing rapidly, little empirical evidence exists on the drivers of chatbot adoption. This research aims to investigate the behavioural, psychological, and technological factors that determine Vietnamese consumers’ intention to use AI chatbots in e-commerce customer service. Specifically, it seeks to identify the most influential determinants of usage intention and to propose managerial implications for improving chatbot design and implementation in Vietnam’s digital marketplace. The research was conducted based on a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework incorporating Trust, Social Influence, Application Design, Efficiency, and Enjoyment. Data from 304 online shoppers were analyzed using reliability assessment, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (EFA and CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for hypothesis testing. This process ensured measurement validity and offered theoretical insights into chatbot adoption in Vietnam’s e-commerce context. The analysis reveals that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Enjoyment serve as the most influential determinants of behavioral intention, whereas Social Influence and Efficiency affect intention indirectly via usefulness, with Trust and Application Design demonstrating comparatively weaker impacts than anticipated. The evidence adds an emerging-market perspective and indicates concrete levers (utility, responsiveness, and engaging interaction) that Vietnamese platforms can act on.
Keywords
AI chatbots, E-commerce, Technology Acceptance Model, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Behavioral Intention, Perceived Usefulness, Customer Service, Online Shopping, Vietnam.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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