Replacing the Human Touch : A Qualitative Study of When and Why ConsumersConsider Human Contact Necessary Across the DigitalCustomer Journey in Swedish E-Commerce

Sammanfattning

Background The use of AI-driven chatbots in e-commerce has increased rapidly as retailers seek greaterefficiency and lower service costs. As chatbots increasingly replace human interaction acrossthe digital customer journey, questions arise regarding how consumers experience this shift andwhen they still consider human contact necessary. While the operational benefits of chatbotdeployment are well documented, the consumer perspective on this substitution remainsunderexplored. Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore consumer perceptions of AI-driven chatbots as areplacement for human interaction across the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase phasesof the digital customer journey in Swedish e-commerce, including when and why consumersconsider human contact necessary. Method The study adopts a qualitative research design based on eleven semi-structured interviews withSwedish e-commerce consumers. The empirical material was analysed using the Gioiamethodology, resulting in first-order concepts, second-order themes, and four aggregatedimensions. Findings The findings identify four aggregate dimensions: Capability and Limitations, Emotional andRelational Dimension, Trust and Transparency, and The Human Threshold Across theCustomer Journey. Consumers generally accept chatbots for simple, factual, and low-staketasks, but prefer human interaction when situations require empathy, flexibility, oraccountability. Trust in chatbots is conditional and dependent on transparency and accurateinformation, while simulated empathy is often perceived as inauthentic. The findings furthershow that the need for human contact increases throughout the customer journey and isstrongest in post-purchase situations involving complaints, returns, or disputes. Conclusions Consumers do not perceive chatbots as a direct substitute for human interaction, but rather as afundamentally different type of encounter that often falls short in emotional, relational, andtrust-related aspects. The threshold for human contact varies across the customer journey andincreases when the perceived stakes of the interaction become higher. The study suggests thatretailers should adopt a staged approach to chatbot deployment while maintaining accessiblehuman support at critical touchpoints. The study further contributes three theoretical insights:the structural rather than incidental nature of the emotional cost of chatbot interaction, thedistinction between simulated and genuine empathy, and a journey-stage gradient of humanpreference shaped by neutrality, security and discretion.