Apologizing for online service failures: How does the use of emojis have an impact on customer forgiveness?

Apologies are commonly used as a key strategy for service recovery in online environments, integrating both verbal and non-verbal communication elements. With the growing use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in digital marketing, emojis have become critical non-verbal cues. However, the combined effects of verbal cues (apologies) and non-verbal cues (emojis) on consumer responses remain unexplored. This research investigates these effects through two experimental studies using online survey data, analyzed with SPSS 26.0. The study develops a dual-path model to examine how apology type (sincere vs. instrumental) interacts with emoji presence and sentiment to shape consumer perceptions. The results reveal that sincere apologies significantly enhance perceived sincerity and subsequent forgiveness compared to instrumental apologies. Importantly, we identify the mediating role of perceived sincerity in the relationship between apology type and customer forgiveness. Additionally, the study uncovers two key interaction effects: (1) emojis amplify the positive impact of sincere apologies, and (2) negative-valence emojis paradoxically enhance the effectiveness of sincere apologies. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of multimodal communication in service recovery and provide actionable insights for crafting effective apology messages in digital contexts.