Abstract
<jats:p>As AI-powered chatbots increasingly mediate consumer interactions across e-commerce, retail, and service contexts, understanding their impact on brand loyalty and trust has become a strategic priority for marketing research. This review synthesises 40 empirical and conceptual studies published between 2019 and 2026, retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science, through a narrative thematic synthesis. Findings are organised around four themes: chatbot design and humanisation, trust as the pivotal relational mechanism, customer journey outcomes, and contextual boundary conditions. The analysis resolves key theoretical tensions, notably the warmth-versus-competence debate, by identifying moderating conditions, including product type, consumer motivational orientation, and relationship phase. An integrative conceptual framework, DIAL (Design, Interaction, Accumulation, Loyalty), is proposed to model the temporal dynamics through which chatbot design decisions translate into durable brand loyalty. Implications for marketing theory, managerial practice, and future research are discussed.</jats:p>