Many apparel retailing brands use e-service marketing tools such as a chatbot (a system that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to increase their competitive advantage in today’s world of digitalization. During the COVID-19 pandemic, chatbots gained more power to serve as a communication tool that provides information and maintains customer experience. Therefore, this study is conducted to investigate the influence of chatbot e-service agents’ marketing efforts (involving interaction, entertainment, trendiness, and problem-solving) on Thai customers’ perceived communication credibility and satisfaction in apparel retailing, as research in this area is limited. In order to test the hypotheses, the paper employed structural equation modeling using Amos. In addition, an online survey of 400 Thai consumers who had previously used chatbots in the apparel retailing industry was conducted. The results showed that chatbot e-service marketing efforts, including interaction, trendiness, and problem-solving, affected customer satisfaction without entertainment elements. Beyond this, a chatbot, viewing interaction and entertainment, was found to have an insignificant effect on communication credibility. Thus, the coefficient value proved that information regarding communication credibility is more dominant in customer satisfaction. Therefore, the chatbot e-service marketing effort is essential in motivating communication credibility in customer satisfaction. These findings delivered managerial implications for understanding consumers in the field of digitalization.

The Original Article was published on 08 July 2022In the section '1.3. Hypotheses' in this article, in H1a-H4b, the last word has been changed (the words "satisfaction" and "credibility" have changed places). The sentences now read: 'H1a: Chatbot e-services can provide positive interactions that evoke customer satisfaction. H1b: Chatbot e-services can provide positive interactions that evoke communication credibility. H2a: Chatbot e-services can provide positive entertainment that evokes customer satisfaction. H2b: Chatbot e-services can provide positive entertainment that evokes communication credibilityH3a: Chatbot e-services can provide positive trendiness that evokes customer satisfaction. H3b: Chatbot e-services can provide positive trendiness that evokes communication credibility. H4a: Chatbot e-services can provide positive problem-solving that evokes customer satisfaction. H4b: Chatbot e-services can provide positive problem-solving that evokes communication credibility.'