A Longitudinal Study on Self-Service Technology: Understanding Customers' Post-Adoption Experience

Abstract

Over the past decade, the proliferation of self-service technologies (SSTs) in service industries has attracted considerable scholarly attention. An abundance of research has investigated how customers evaluate a new SST and what drives the initial trial. However, little is known about how customers interact with and adapt to an SST following their first experience. It is argued that while the initial trial is a critical step in the adoption process, the long term viability of an SST and its eventual success depend on its regular use. Therefore, in order to fill the literature gap and shed light on the issue, this research is undertaken with an overall objective to investigate customers’ post-adoption experience with an SST from a longitudinal perspective. To understand this complex, dynamic phenomenon, three specific research objectives are proposed and three empirical studies are conducted in Australia with recently installed supermarket self-checkout kiosks as the focal SST under examination. Study 1 explores situational influences on customers’ choice between self-service and personal service. Through interview and observation, it is found that customers’ choice is influenced by three major situational factors: perceived waiting time, perceived task complexity, and companion influence. Results also show that past experiences influence SST attitudes and behaviours in a more complex manner than SST characteristics and other individual difference variables. Study 2 uses a longitudinal design to examine in particular how habit, self-efficacy, and satisfaction impact on continued SST usage over time. The results show that, as experience accumulates and learning occurs, customers’ decision to continue using an SST is initially rational driven (self-efficacy), then largely emotional driven (satisfaction), and finally becomes habitual (habit). Study 3 adopts an econometric modelling approach to focus on how a habit of SST usage is developed and what drives its formation. The results indicate a significant carryover effect, suggesting that habit is formed cumulatively. In addition to satisfaction and self-efficacy that have been examined in Study 2, past usage (frequency and recency) and need for interaction are also found to impact on habit development. Furthermore, the findings reveal some gender differences in habit development.