Reconsidering tipping motivations in the age of digital service

Abstract

Digital payment technologies have extended tipping into service settings where tipping was previously uncommon, raising questions about how consumers perceive such requests. This research examines how tipping motives shape perceptions of manipulative intent in technology-mediated service environments and how these translate into attitudes toward the provider. Across two studies with U.S. consumers, we investigate tipping in employee-present and kiosk-only settings. Study 1 shows that among established tipping motives, only obligation-based motives increase perceptions of manipulative intent, subsequently undermining attitudes toward tipping and the provider. Study 2 decomposes social obligation into distinct norms, demonstrating that injunctive, rather than descriptive, norms drive manipulation perceptions. Moreover, this influence depends on service context: proximal injunctive norms are consistently influential, whereas distal injunctive norms become particularly important in kiosk-only settings. Together, these findings identify perceived manipulative intent as a key mechanism bridging tipping motives with consumer resistance, highlighting how social obligations backfire in technology-mediated environments. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd