Exploring Language Style in Chatbots to Increase Perceived Product Value and User Engagement

Chatbots that can automatically answer customer requests have become a common feature on e-commerce Web sites. There are many factors that might affect overall customer satisfaction with such services. We explore how adding language style to e-commerce chatbots can be used to increase user satisfaction, perceived product value, user interest in a product, and user engagement with a chatbot service. We conducted an experimental pilot study, where two chatbots were used to sell theatre tickets: one communicating in modern English and one in a Shakespearean-style dialect. 169 participants interacted with a randomly-assigned version of the chatbot. The results indicate that the bot talking in modern English showed a significantly higher user satisfaction, whereas the Shakespearean-styled chatbot showed higher user engagement and perceived product value. It was also found that the modern chatbot version was more often referred to as being 'easy to use', whereas the Shakespearean chatbot version was more often referred to as being 'fun to use'.