Nowadays, human customer service is increasingly being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) customer service agents. Service recovery plays a crucial role in shaping consumer experiences and business profitability. The realism of AI agents can significantly impact users’ attitudes and behaviors. However, it remains unclear how different types of realism in AI customer service agents affect customers during service recovery. Drawing on social response theory and expectation–confirmation theory, this study explores the impact of AI agents’ realism on consumer satisfaction and repeat purchase behavior during service recovery, as well as the underlying mechanisms of this effect. We collected data from 784 participants in three studies. Study 1 results show that form realism and behavioral realism of AI customer service agents affect customer satisfaction in successful service recovery situations. Study 2 indicates that the interaction effect of form realism and behavioral realism only influence satisfaction customer satisfaction and repeat purchase intention in terms of failed service recovery. Study 3 further explores the mechanism of action in failed service recovery, finding that perceived warmth and competence mediate the relationship between realism and satisfaction. We systematically examine the influence of the realism of AI customer service agents on consumer satisfaction across distinct success and failure service recovery scenarios, effectively addressing a critical research void. Additionally, our findings offer valuable insights to business managers, empowering them with actionable strategies for enhancing consumer satisfaction across varied consumption contexts and effectively mitigating the repercussions of consumption failures.

Purpose: This research aims to examine how the concreteness of green product attribute information (concrete vs abstract) influences consumer perception and brand attitude. Design/methodology/approach: This research conducted three studies. Study 1 shows that the green product attribute information with different levels of concreteness (concrete vs abstract) affects mental simulation differently. Study 2 explored the moderating role of product attributes (intrinsic vs extrinsic). Study 3 examined the moderating role of product type (hedonic vs utilitarian) and extended the conceptual model to downstream variables, such as brand attitude. Findings: This research proved that concrete (vs abstract) product attribute information leads to more process simulation and less outcome simulation of the green effects of the product. Concrete information significantly enhances process simulation under extrinsic attribute conditions, while abstract information significantly enhances outcome simulation under intrinsic attribute conditions. For utilitarian products, concrete information boosts process simulation and improves brand attitude toward green products. In contrast, for hedonic products, abstract information enhances outcome simulation and subsequently improves brand attitude toward green products. Originality/value: This research explored how green product attribute information of varying concreteness influences consumer perception and attitude through dual pathways based on mental simulation mechanisms. It examined the boundary conditions of these effects from the perspectives of product attributes and product categories, thereby expanding the application scenarios and enhancing the practical significance of the research.

Purpose: From a relational maintenance perspective, this study explores the impact of being envied (benignly vs maliciously) on consumers' feelings of social anxiety and its influence on their tendencies toward inconspicuous consumption, based on the resource conservation theory and the model of “Sensitivity about Being the Target of a Threatening Upward Comparison.” (STTUC)Design/methodology/approach: Four studies were conducted in this paper. Studies 1a and 1b tested the main hypothesis that being maliciously envied (vs benignly) can increase consumers' inconspicuous consumption of luxury products and luxury hotel experiences. Study 2 replicated this finding and examined the mediating role of social anxiety. Study 3 investigated the moderating effect of ideal self-congruity (low vs high).Findings: The findings reveal that being maliciously envied (vs benignly) is associated with higher levels of inconspicuous consumption and social anxiety acts as a mediating role. Moreover, when individuals have a strong sense of ideal self-congruity, the positive impact of being maliciously envied (vs benignly) on inconspicuous consumption is further amplified, confirming the moderating role of ideal self-congruity.Originality/value: This study sheds light on a novel mechanism that elucidates how different types of being envied influence consumers' inconspicuous consumption and the conditions under which this impact is heightened.