Conversational Marketing and Customers' Experience in the Nigerian Banking Industry

ABSTRACT
The rise of conversational marketing has reshaped how bank's engage with customers. Yet, in Nigeria, many commercial banks struggle to create meaningful digital interactions that build trust, satisfaction, and emotional connection. One major issue is the underuse of conversational marketing tools leading to limited emotional engagement, poor system usability and unsatisfactory service outcomes. Hence, this study examines the impact of conversational marketing on customers' experience in the Nigerian banking industry, focusing on customers of commercial banks in Kwara State. Other specific objectives of the study are to: examine the impact of customer support on customer satisfaction; assess the influence of social media engagement on emotional connection; and evaluate the effect of interactive frequently asked questions on perceived system usability. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Convenience sampling technique was employed to collect the needed data for the study. The sample size of 384 respondents was determined through Bill Godden sample size determination formulae. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used empirically and statistically analyze using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesis with the aid of Smart PLS version 4.0 where both the measurement and structural models were examined. The findings revealed that customer support significantly influenced customer satisfaction; social media has a significant impact on emotional connection; and interactive frequently asked questions has a significant influence on perceived system usability. The study concludes that conversational marketing has significant and positive impact on customers' experience in the Nigerian banking industry. This study recommends that commercial banks enhance real-time support through a blend of artificial intelligence and human interaction, personalize social media strategies using data analytics, and upgrade frequently asked question systems to provide clearer, more autonomous navigation experiences for customers.