Siri, Do I like You? Digital Voice Assistants and Their Acceptance by Consumers

Nowadays, digital voice assistants (DVAs) such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, or Apple’s Siri provide speech-oriented human-computer interfaces that have the potential to make consumers’ interaction with other consumers, firms, or devices more convenient, enjoyable, and productive. However, at least currently, DVA acceptance is limited, even among digital natives and corresponding explanations are missing. This paper seeks to close this gap by investigating which factors have an impact on DVA acceptance. Therefore, we develop a new approach that combines elements of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as well as the Uses and Gratifications Approach (UGA). A sample of 283 digital natives participated in a Siri field experiment. The results demonstrate that especially enjoyment, but also social status and social influence are main DVA acceptance drivers. Nevertheless, Millennials have some privacy concerns about companies getting too much personal information while using DVAs. This study provides valuable insights into main drivers of DVA acceptance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.