Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Business Administration in MENA Region (ICAIABA 2026)

International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Business Administration in MENA Region (ICAIABA 2026)

📍Biskra, Algeria🗓️ 13-14 April 2026
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Trust as a Mediator Between AI Chatbot Characteristics and Customer Experience:

Insights from Algerian E-Commerce Users

Authors
Manel Rebbouh1, *
1Department of Commerce, Faculty of Economics, Setif 1 University -Ferhat Abbas, El Bez Campus, 19137, Setif, Algeria
*Corresponding author. Email: Manel.rebbouh@univ-setif.dz
Corresponding Author
Manel Rebbouh
Available Online 24 June 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-711-8_21How to use a DOI?
Keywords
AI-powered chatbots; Customer experience; Trust; Mediation; E-commerce; Algeria
Abstract

This study examines how AI-powered chatbot characteristics enhance customer experience in Algerian e-commerce, with trust serving as a mediating mechanism. A cross-sectional survey of 164 chatbot users was analyzed using Pearson correlations and Baron and Kenny’s mediation procedure with Sobel tests. Results indicate that ease of use, real-time responsiveness, and emotional intelligence positively influence both customer experience and trust. Trust demonstrates a significant positive relationship with customer experience. Mediation analysis reveals that trust partially mediates all three chatbot characteristic–customer experience relationships, with Sobel tests confirming significant indirect effects. These findings suggest that intuitive chatbot design directly improves customer experience, while emotionally intelligent interactions operate more effectively through trust-building mechanisms. E-commerce businesses should prioritize user-friendly interfaces for immediate impact while investing in emotional intelligence capabilities to foster trust-based customer relationships. This study contributes to empirical evidence from an emerging MENA market and validates trust as a critical mediator in human–chatbot interactions.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Business Administration in MENA Region (ICAIABA 2026)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
24 June 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-711-8
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-711-8_21How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Manel Rebbouh
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
TI  - Trust as a Mediator Between AI Chatbot Characteristics and Customer Experience:
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Business Administration in MENA Region (ICAIABA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 216
EP  - 226
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-711-8_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-711-8_21
ID  - Rebbouh2026
ER  -