Abstract:
This article aims to understand the interactions between consumers and social robots using an interpretivist approach and an ethnographic methodology. After a multidisciplinary literature review of the social robot, we propose a definition of this technology. This first theoretical step in understanding the robot is followed by an explanation of our interpretivist approach and details of the implementation of our ethnographic methodology. The implementation of a netnographic study is presented to illustrate the contributions of our approach. From a managerial point of view, this article underlines the importance of a consumer-centric approach to developing the robot best suited to the consumer's needs, particularly those related to social interaction. On a societal level, it is interested in an emerging technology that seeks to contribute to the well-being of individuals.
Keywords: consumer behavior, robot, appropriation, interpretivism, ethnography
