David Masilo
Division of Marketing Management
School of Business Sciences
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8720-3849
David03.dk@gmail.com
Favour Chauke
Division of Marketing Management
School of Business Sciences
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4683-2702
favourntsak18@gmail.com
Prof Neo Ligaraba*
Division of Marketing Management
School of Business Sciences
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3657-5645
neo.ligaraba@wits.ac.za
Vol 21 | Issue 1 | 94-106
*Corresponding author
Abstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile banking operations has become increasingly prevalent, with many banks leveraging AI to enhance their service offerings and operational efficiency. This study investigates the impact of various AI stimuli (perceived anthropomorphism, perceived interactivity, perceived personalization, perceived intelligence, information and accessibility) on customer engagement and brand relationship quality among young adults in the retail banking sector. Utilising a convenience sampling method, the study collected 267 responses through an online survey to test the proposed model. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings reveal that system quality and service quality have a significant effect on customer engagement, while perceived anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence, and information quality do not significantly impact engagement levels. These results provide valuable insights for retail banking marketers, highlighting the importance of focusing on system and service quality to improve customer engagement in mobile banking. As young adults are significant users of mobile banking services, there is an opportunity for banks to enhance their use of AI stimuli and improve online system quality to better attract and retain this demographic. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how young consumers perceive and interact with AI-driven services, shedding light on their attitudes and experiences related to AI stimuli and brand relationship quality in the banking sector.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, perceived anthropomorphism, mobile banking, system quality, customer engagement, brand relationship quality
Back to Volume 21 | Issue 1 | June 2025
References
Abror, A., Patrisia, D., Engriani, Y., Evanita, S., Yasri, Y., & Dastgir, S. (2020). Service quality, religiosity, customer satisfaction, customer engagement and Islamic bank’s customer loyalty. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(6), 1691-1705.
Akrout, H., & Nagy, G. (2018). Trust and commitment within a virtual brand community: The mediating role of brand relationship quality. Information & Management, 55(8), 939-955.
Al-Dmour, H. H., Ali, W. K., & Al-Dmour, R. H. (2019). The relationship between customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management (IJCRMM), 10(2), 35-60.
Ashfaq, M., Yun, J., Yu, S., & Loureiro, S. M. C. (2020). I, Chatbot: Modeling the determinants of users’ satisfaction and continuance intention of AI-powered service agents. Telematics and Informatics, 54, 101473.
Cheng, Y., & Jiang, H. (2022). Customer–brand relationship in the era of artificial intelligence: understanding the role of chatbot marketing efforts. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31(2), 252-264.
Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). On seeing human: a three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological review, 114(4), 864.
Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of consumer research, 24(4), 343-373.
Guthrie, S. E. (1997). Anthropomorphism: A definition and a theory.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European business review, 31(1), 2-24.
Jacoby, J. (2002). Stimulus‐organism‐response reconsidered: an evolutionary step in modeling (consumer) behavior. Journal of consumer psychology, 12(1), 51-57.
Jamshidi, D., & Rousta, A. (2021). Brand commitment role in the relationship between brand loyalty and brand satisfaction: phone industry in Malaysia. Journal of Promotion Management, 27(1), 151-176.
Kim, K., Park, J., & Kim, J. (2014). Consumer–brand relationship quality: When and how it helps brand extensions. Journal of Business Research, 67(4), 591-597.
Kumar, P. (2023). Effects of in-store information quality and store credibility on consumer engagement in green retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103195.
Kwan Soo Shin, S., Amenuvor, F. E., Basilisco, R., & Owusu-Antwi, K. (2019). Brand trust and brand loyalty: A moderation and mediation perspective. Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 38(4), 1-17.
Lee, J.-C., & Chen, X. (2022). Exploring users’ adoption intentions in the evolution of artificial intelligence mobile banking applications: the intelligent and anthropomorphic perspectives. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 40(4), 631-658.
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of marketing, 58(3), 20-38.
Moussawi, S., & Koufaris, M. (2019). Perceived intelligence and perceived anthropomorphism of personal intelligent agents: Scale development and validation.
Muda, I., & Ade Afrina, E. (2019). Influence of human resources to the effect of system quality and information quality on the user satisfaction of accrual-based accounting system. Contaduría y administración, 64(2), 0-0.
Noor, N., Rao Hill, S., & Troshani, I. (2022). Recasting service quality for AI-based service. Australasian Marketing Journal, 30(4), 297-312.
Pentina, I., Gammoh, B. S., Zhang, L., & Mallin, M. (2013). Drivers and outcomes of brand relationship quality in the context of online social networks. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 17(3), 63-86.
Prentice, C., Weaven, S., & Wong, I. A. (2020). Linking AI quality performance and customer engagement: The moderating effect of AI preference. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90, 102629.
Salles, A., Evers, K., & Farisco, M. (2020). Anthropomorphism in AI. AJOB neuroscience, 11(2), 88-95.
Simatele, M. (2015). Market Structure and competition in the South African banking sector. Procedia Economics and Finance, 30, 825-835.
Vohra, A., & Bhardwaj, N. (2019). Customer engagement in an e-commerce brand community: An empirical comparison of alternate models. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(1), 2-25.
Wali, A. F., Wright, L. T., & Uduma, I. A. (2015). Customer relationship management for brand commitment and brand loyalty. British Journal of Marketing Studies, 3(4), 45-58.
Back to Volume 21 | Issue 1 | June 2025
