“Help me, chatbot!”: Customer-brand relationship in the context of tourism chatbots

This study aims to investigate brand passion, a core concept in customer-brand relationships, from the perspective of chatbot experiences. In particular, it seeks to explain how perceived risk and trust of chatbots can enhance the customer experience and, consequently, increase brand passion. Data were collected from 253 French students, and the model was tested using SmartPLS. The results indicate that risk has a negative effect on experience, while trust has a positive effect on experience. Furthermore, experience has a positive impact on brand passion. The study provides valuable theoretical and managerial implications.