Gendered robots and persuasion: The interplay of the robot's gender, the consumer's gender, and their power on menu recommendations

Abstract

Despite substantial research on robot anthropomorphism, few studies have investigated the role of the robot's gender in influencing persuasive tasks like providing recommendations. This research investigates the joint impact of the robot's gender, the consumer's gender, and their sense of power on menu recommendation acceptance. Study 1 reveals that powerless female consumers view male-like (vs. female-like) robots as more persuasive, exhibiting greater acceptance. This gender difference disappears among powerless males and powerful consumers of either gender. Study 2 examines cuteness as a boundary condition of the robot's gender effect, showing that both male and female consumers have similar acceptance of the recommendation with cute male-like and female-like robots. Theoretically, this research advances the understanding of gender dynamics in human-robot interactions in persuasive service contexts. Practically, it provides insights into strategic robot design tailored to consumer profiles and highlights how cuteness can reduce gender bias.