Purpose Service robots can create integrated interactive experiences for consumers across online and offline environments. This research aims to explore whether phygital interaction, compared to unichannel repeated interaction, better facilitates consumer–robot relationships and to identify the key boundary conditions under which this relational advantage translates into positive marketing outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were employed to examine the effects of interaction type (phygital vs. unichannel) and its interaction with the robot's social role and representational consistency on relationship building and downstream marketing intentions. Findings Results show that phygital interaction enhances the consumer–robot relationship compared to unichannel interaction, mainly by increasing perceived companionship and relational closeness. This relationship benefit holds true regardless of the robot's social role. However, phygital interaction only improves marketing outcomes (attitudes toward the service provider and co-creation intention) when the robot's representation is consistent across channels. Originality/value This research uniquely frames consumer–robot interaction within a phygital interaction framework, advancing AI-enabled interactive marketing research through an integrated human–robot experience lens and providing actionable insights for designing intelligent interaction strategies that convert relational value into commercial outcomes.
Qian et al. (Thu,) studied this question.