Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile banking operations has become increasingly prevalent, with many banks leveraging AI to enhance their service offerings and operational efficiency. This study investigates the impact of various AI stimuli (perceived anthropomorphism, perceiv...

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Main Authors: David Masilo, Favour Chauke, Prof Neo Ligaraba, Goitumetswe Pitso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Department of Marketing Management, University of South Africa 2025-06-01
Series:The Retail and Marketing Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://retailandmarketingreview.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/RMR21-1-94-106.pdf
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author David Masilo
Favour Chauke
Prof Neo Ligaraba
Goitumetswe Pitso
author_facet David Masilo
Favour Chauke
Prof Neo Ligaraba
Goitumetswe Pitso
author_sort David Masilo
collection DOAJ
description The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile banking operations has become increasingly prevalent, with many banks leveraging AI to enhance their service offerings and operational efficiency. This study investigates the impact of various AI stimuli (perceived anthropomorphism, perceived interactivity, perceived personalization, perceived intelligence, information and accessibility) on customer engagement and brand relationship quality among young adults in the retail banking sector. Utilising a convenience sampling method, the study collected 267 responses through an online survey to test the proposed model. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings reveal that system quality and service quality have a significant effect on customer engagement, while perceived anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence, and information quality do not significantly impact engagement levels. These results provide valuable insights for retail banking marketers, highlighting the importance of focusing on system and service quality to improve customer engagement in mobile banking. As young adults are significant users of mobile banking services, there is an opportunity for banks to enhance their use of AI stimuli and improve online system quality to better attract and retain this demographic. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how young consumers perceive and interact with AI-driven services, shedding light on their attitudes and experiences related to AI stimuli and brand relationship quality in the banking sector.
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spelling doaj-art-5a6772f9868b45698206002dc5dc5cd52025-08-20T03:30:02ZengDepartment of Marketing Management, University of South AfricaThe Retail and Marketing Review2708-32092025-06-0121194106https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15674659Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industryDavid Masilo0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8720-3849Favour Chauke1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4683-2702Prof Neo Ligaraba2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3657-5645Goitumetswe Pitso3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3691-3920Division of Marketing Management, School of Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDivision of Marketing Management, School of Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDivision of Marketing Management, School of Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgWits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgThe integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile banking operations has become increasingly prevalent, with many banks leveraging AI to enhance their service offerings and operational efficiency. This study investigates the impact of various AI stimuli (perceived anthropomorphism, perceived interactivity, perceived personalization, perceived intelligence, information and accessibility) on customer engagement and brand relationship quality among young adults in the retail banking sector. Utilising a convenience sampling method, the study collected 267 responses through an online survey to test the proposed model. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings reveal that system quality and service quality have a significant effect on customer engagement, while perceived anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence, and information quality do not significantly impact engagement levels. These results provide valuable insights for retail banking marketers, highlighting the importance of focusing on system and service quality to improve customer engagement in mobile banking. As young adults are significant users of mobile banking services, there is an opportunity for banks to enhance their use of AI stimuli and improve online system quality to better attract and retain this demographic. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how young consumers perceive and interact with AI-driven services, shedding light on their attitudes and experiences related to AI stimuli and brand relationship quality in the banking sector.https://retailandmarketingreview.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/RMR21-1-94-106.pdfartificial intelligenceperceived anthropomorphismmobile bankingsystem qualitycustomer engagementbrand relationship quality
spellingShingle David Masilo
Favour Chauke
Prof Neo Ligaraba
Goitumetswe Pitso
Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
The Retail and Marketing Review
artificial intelligence
perceived anthropomorphism
mobile banking
system quality
customer engagement
brand relationship quality
title Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
title_full Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
title_fullStr Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
title_full_unstemmed Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
title_short Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
title_sort investigating the impact of artificial intelligence stimuli on customer engagement and brand relationship quality in the retail banking industry
topic artificial intelligence
perceived anthropomorphism
mobile banking
system quality
customer engagement
brand relationship quality
url https://retailandmarketingreview.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/RMR21-1-94-106.pdf
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