Acar, Ayşegül; Türten, Burak; Diker, Ersin

Service robots are becoming more prevalent in the service industry, yet the impact they have on customer experiences is not well-documented. This study identified consumer emotions toward service robots in hotels and restaurants, focusing on how specific attributes of these robots affect consumer emotions. Furthermore, it explored which countries generate the most comments on these service robot attributes and the nature of consumer emotions within these regions. Utilizing sentiment analysis, the study examined 52,513 English-language tweets about hotel and restaurant service robots. Additionally, logistic regression analysis helped quantify the impact of robot attributes–categorized as physical, functional, and relational–on different classes of emotions. The findings reveal that customers of restaurants and hotels were most influenced by the physical and relational attributes of service robots, respectively, with functional attributes having the least impact. The logistic regression analysis offered significant insights into how service robot attributes influence consumer experiences in hotels and restaurants.

Acar, Ayşegül; Büyükdağ, Naci; Türten, Burak; Diker, Ersin; Çalışır, Gülsüm

This study investigated the relationship between brand identity, brand lifestyle congruence, brand satisfaction, and repurchase intention. In addition, this study examined how the primary reference group’s family and peer/friend affected individuals’ perceptions of brand identity, brand-lifestyle congruence, brand satisfaction, and purchase intention through a multi-group structural equation model. A total of 610 valid and useable responses, collected from a social media channel, were analyzed. Grounded in social identity theory and self-congruity theory, a set of hypotheses was examined within a research model. The findings show that brand identity significantly affects brand lifestyle congruence, brand satisfaction, and repurchase intentions. In addition, brand-lifestyle congruence significantly affects brand satisfaction and repurchase intentions, with brand satisfaction also significantly affecting purchase intentions. Also, high-income and elderly consumers tend to ignore the family and peer effects. Middle-aged, middle-income men who value product origin show a strong brand perception, and are less influenced by family. In contrast, women, typically lower-income and price-focused, are more receptive to family and peer effects and generally indifferent to product origin. This research advances brand identity literature by examining the effects of brand brand-lifestyle congruence, brand satisfaction, and purchase intention. It suggests that the synergy between brand identity, brand lifestyle congruence, and brand satisfaction significantly enhances repurchase intentions. Besides, examining profiles in the context of brands, consumers, and reference groups contributes additional value to the field.