Abstract: Empowered by new technologies such as artificial intelligence, service robots are increasing rapidly in diverse consumption markets. In fact, the interaction between service robots and consumers is a process of social exchange on the basis of trust. Anthropomorphism is one of the common strategies to increase consumers’ trust and acceptance in diverse service contexts ,but it may trigger some negative effects. This is because consumers have different expectations and needs for the anthropomorphism of service robots in different consumption contexts. Anthropomorphism can be divided into two types: anthropomorphism with human nature traits and with unique human traits, which provides a new idea for satisfying consumers’ diversified trust needs for service robots under different consumption situations. Based on three experiments, we find that under subjective service tasks, consumers will enhance their service satisfaction if the service robot is imbued with human nature traits ( vs. unique human traits) when it’s anthropomorphized externally, and this effect is mediated by emotional trust; however, under objective service tasks, consumers will enhance their service satisfaction if the service robot is imbued with unique human traits (vs. human nature traits) when it's anthropomorphized externally, and this effect is mediated by cognitive trust. The results provide specific guidance for the design of service robots and mainly enrich the literature on service robots and anthropomorphic marketing.

Key words: service robot, anthropomorphism, emotional trust, cognitive trust, unique human traits, human nature traits