Frontline service robots have the capacity to improve many facets of a service, including efficiency, in service locations where the type of customer interactions is repetitive in nature or services where customers may be indifferent to social-emotional and relational elements. However, customer acceptance of human-robot interaction in the service industry is still low, with most people still preferring to interact with humans.
Smart objects (such as smart speakers or smartwatches) are spreading among consumers but not as fast as expected. Thinking of them as being similar to people, sometimes even with a negative social role to play, might also be a barrier to their consumption, says a forthcoming paper
An international team of researchers analyzes the opinions of a sampling of 816 Italian consumers regarding large scandals in the food market. Psychological mechanisms that place blame on the brand and related stereotypes are surprising