Abstract
This study explores ethnic consumers’ perceptions of the characteristics of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice assistants influencing continuance usage in online fashion retail in the UK. Despite fashion retailers incorporating voice assistants to enhance their engagement and shopping efficiency, consumers are slowly adopting these AI-enabled technologies. The existing literature highlights concerns regarding cognitive biases in assistant algorithms encompassing safety, privacy, and biased offers. However, a literature gap exists in understanding how consumers from diverse ethnic backgrounds perceive these features, which are potentially influenced by acculturation factors such as language barriers and cultural differences. Consequently, this also calls for research that can assist in better understanding how voice assistant characteristics affect ethnic consumers' likelihood of continuing to use AI-enabled technologies during their online fashion shopping journey.
To address this gap, semi-structured qualitative interviews with ethnic consumers in the UK will be conducted. This study aims to provide valuable insights for online fashion retailers by assisting them in promoting sustained voice assistant usage among ethnic consumers during their online shopping experience.
Keywords: Voice Assistants, Ethnic Consumers, Continuance Usage Intention, Online Fashion Retailers, Perceived Self-Extension, Perceived Warmth, The Unified Model of IT Continuance