Is her (his) gender matched or not matched with me? Gender (dis)match effect between customers and gendered service robots

This study examines whether the match between customers and gendered service robot influences customer satisfaction towards service robots, so-called gender (dis)match effect. Two experimental studies are employed to test hypotheses using scenario-based online survey. Study 1 evidenced the gender (dis)match effect, supporting that female robots are favored by both male and female customers, while male robots are not preferred by female customers, which varies by the level of anthropomorphism. Study 2 explores service failure situations, evidencing the gender (dis)match effect even after service failure. The research reveals that female robots are preferred by both female and male customers, which is moderated by the level of anthropomorphism. Such effect is also found to happen in both positive and failure service encounters. Specifically, customers show a higher tolerance towards opposite gender robots in a failure encounter. The findings offer valuable theoretical and practical implications for hospitality industry.