IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v59y2021ics0969698920313643.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Self-service technology in supermarkets – Do frontline staff still matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Sharma, Piyush
  • Ueno, Akiko
  • Kingshott, Russel

Abstract

This paper uses the concept of psychological distance under construal level theory to explore the differences in the customers’ evaluations of overall store quality, satisfaction and loyalty, based on their experiences with the traditional staff-checkout method and the relatively new self-checkout machines. Two empirical studies, a field survey with retail shoppers in UK (N1 = 313) and an online survey with members of a consumer panel in Australia (N2 = 474), show that the perceived quality of staff-checkout has a stronger positive impact on the overall store quality, satisfaction and loyalty, than the quality of self-checkout. Similarly, satisfaction with staff-checkout has a stronger positive effect on store satisfaction and loyalty, than the satisfaction with self-checkout. Finally, loyalty to staff-checkout also has a stronger positive influence on store loyalty, than the loyalty towards self-checkout. These results show that despite growing use of self-service technology, frontline staff continue to be important for overall store evaluations.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharma, Piyush & Ueno, Akiko & Kingshott, Russel, 2021. "Self-service technology in supermarkets – Do frontline staff still matter?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:59:y:2021:i:c:s0969698920313643
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102356
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698920313643
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102356?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Teresa Fernandes & Rui Pedroso, 2017. "The effect of self-checkout quality on customer satisfaction and repatronage in a retail context," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 11(1), pages 69-92, March.
    2. Olgun Kitapci & Ibrahim Taylan Dortyol & Zührem Yaman & Mustafa Gulmez, 2013. "The paths from service quality dimensions to customer loyalty," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(3), pages 239-255, March.
    3. Grewal, Dhruv & Roggeveen, Anne L. & Nordfält, Jens, 2017. "The Future of Retailing," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 1-6.
    4. Demirci Orel, Fatma & Kara, Ali, 2014. "Supermarket self-checkout service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty: Empirical evidence from an emerging market," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 118-129.
    5. Marnik G. Dekimpe & Inge Geyskens & Katrijn Gielens, 2020. "Using technology to bring online convenience to offline shopping," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 25-29, March.
    6. Giovanis, Apostolos N. & Athanasopoulou, Pinelopi, 2018. "Consumer-brand relationships and brand loyalty in technology-mediated services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 287-294.
    7. Baier, Daniel & Rese, Alexandra, 2020. "How to increase multichannel shopping satisfaction? An adapted Kano based stage-gate approach to select new technologies," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    8. Dhruv Grewal & Stephanie M. Noble & Anne L. Roggeveen & Jens Nordfalt, 2020. "The future of in-store technology," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 96-113, January.
    9. Reynolds-McIlnay, Ryann & Morrin, Maureen, 2019. "Increasing Shopper Trust in Retailer Technological Interfaces via Auditory Confirmation," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 95(4), pages 128-142.
    10. Collier, Joel E. & Moore, Robert S. & Horky, Alisha & Moore, Melissa L., 2015. "Why the little things matter: Exploring situational influences on customers' self-service technology decisions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 703-710.
    11. Pillai, Rajasshrie & Sivathanu, Brijesh & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2020. "Shopping intention at AI-powered automated retail stores (AIPARS)," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    12. Inman, J. Jeffrey & Nikolova, Hristina, 2017. "Shopper-Facing Retail Technology: A Retailer Adoption Decision Framework Incorporating Shopper Attitudes and Privacy Concerns," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 7-28.
    13. Lee, Hyun-Joo & Yang, Kiseol, 2013. "Interpersonal service quality, self-service technology (SST) service quality, and retail patronage," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 51-57.
    14. Adapa, Sujana & Fazal-e-Hasan, Syed Muhammad & Makam, Sathyaprakash Balaji & Azeem, Muhammad Masood & Mortimer, Gary, 2020. "Examining the antecedents and consequences of perceived shopping value through smart retail technology," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    15. Ying Ding & Hean Tat Keh, 2017. "Consumer reliance on intangible versus tangible attributes in service evaluation: the role of construal level," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 848-865, November.
    16. Kallweit, Katrin & Spreer, Philipp & Toporowski, Waldemar, 2014. "Why do customers use self-service information technologies in retail? The mediating effect of perceived service quality," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 268-276.
    17. Mauricio S. Featherman & Nick Hajli, 2016. "Self-Service Technologies and e-Services Risks in Social Commerce Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(2), pages 251-269, December.
    18. Singh, Nidhi & Sinha, Neena, 2020. "How perceived trust mediates merchant's intention to use a mobile wallet technology," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    19. Gian Luca Marzocchi & Alessandra Zammit, 2006. "Self-scanning technologies in retail: Determinants of adoption," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(6), pages 651-669, September.
    20. Hyun-Joo Lee & Ann Fairhurst & Hyeon Jeong Cho, 2013. "Gender differences in consumer evaluations of service quality: self-service kiosks in retail," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 248-265, February.
    21. Nathalie Demoulin & Souad Djelassi, 2016. "An integrated model of self-service technology (SST) usage in a retail context," Post-Print hal-01563001, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhao, Jingyou & Hu, Enhua & Han, Mingyan & Jiang, Keshen & Shan, Hongmei, 2023. "That honey, my arsenic: The influence of advanced technologies on service employees’ organizational deviance," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Michela C. Mason & Francesco Massara & Francesco Raggiotto, 2022. "An analysis of the relationships between human, technological and physical factors in the retail banking sector," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2022(2), pages 249-266, June.
    3. Asante, Daniel & Tang, Chunyong & Kwamega, Michael & Asante, Eric Adom, 2022. "In pursuit of service encounter quality: Will service-oriented high-performance work systems benefit high-contact service industries?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Gouthier, Matthias & Nennstiel, Carina & Kern, Nora & Groß, Sebastian, 2022. "Easygoing Shopping – Customer Acceptance of the 'Just Walk Out' Technology in the German Retail Market," Marketing Review St.Gallen, Universität St.Gallen, Institut für Marketing und Customer Insight, vol. 39(5), pages 36-45.
    5. Dogerlioglu-Demir, Kivilcim & Ng, Andy H. & Koçaş, Cenk, 2023. "Gracefully yours: Would snap judgments of one's subtle graceful movements lead to inferences about their emotional intelligence?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    6. Szabó-Szentgróti Eszter & Rámháp Szabolcs & Kézai Petra Kinga, 2023. "Systematic Review of Cashierless Stores (Just Walk Out Stores) Revolutionizing The Retail," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 18(s1), pages 427-448, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ben Mimoun, Mohamed Slim & Lancelot Miltgen, Caroline & Slama, Boulbeba, 2022. "Is the shopper always the king/queen? Study of omnichannel retail technology use and shopping orientations," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Chen, Nuoya & Mohanty, Smaraki & Jiao, Jinfeng & Fan, Xiucheng, 2021. "To err is human: Tolerate humans instead of machines in service failure," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    3. Michela C. Mason & Francesco Massara & Francesco Raggiotto, 2022. "An analysis of the relationships between human, technological and physical factors in the retail banking sector," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2022(2), pages 249-266, June.
    4. Lorente-Martínez, Javier & Navío-Marco, Julio & Rodrigo-Moya, Beatriz, 2020. "Analysis of the adoption of customer facing InStore technologies in retail SMEs," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    5. Teresa Fernandes & Rui Pedroso, 2017. "The effect of self-checkout quality on customer satisfaction and repatronage in a retail context," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 11(1), pages 69-92, March.
    6. Kallweit, Katrin & Spreer, Philipp & Toporowski, Waldemar, 2014. "Why do customers use self-service information technologies in retail? The mediating effect of perceived service quality," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 268-276.
    7. Nataša Đurđević & Aleksandra Labus & Dušan Barać & Miloš Radenković & Marijana Despotović-Zrakić, 2022. "An Approach to Assessing Shopper Acceptance of Beacon Triggered Promotions in Smart Retail," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-25, March.
    8. Gong, Taeshik & Wang, Chen-Ya & Lee, Kangcheol, 2022. "Effects of characteristics of in-store retail technology on customer citizenship behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. Alexander, Bethan & Kent, Anthony, 2022. "Change in technology-enabled omnichannel customer experiences in-store," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Chen-Kuo Pai & Ze-Tian Wu & Seunghwan Lee & Jaeseok Lee & Sangguk Kang, 2022. "Service Quality of Social Media-Based Self-Service Technology in the Food Service Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    11. Ruth N. Bolton & Anders Gustafsson & Crina O. Tarasi & Lars Witell, 2022. "Designing satisfying service encounters: website versus store touchpoints," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 85-107, January.
    12. Subero-Navarro, à urea & Pelegrín-Borondo, Jorge & Reinares-Lara, Eva & Olarte-Pascual, Cristina, 2022. "Proposal for modeling social robot acceptance by retail customers: CAN model + technophobia," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    13. Pillai, Rajasshrie & Sivathanu, Brijesh & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2020. "Shopping intention at AI-powered automated retail stores (AIPARS)," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    14. Pantano, Eleonora & Viassone, Milena & Boardman, Rosy & Dennis, Charles, 2022. "Inclusive or exclusive? Investigating how retail technology can reduce old consumers’ barriers to shopping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    15. Lien Lamey & Els Breugelmans & Maya Vuegen & Anne ter Braak, 2021. "Retail service innovations and their impact on retailer shareholder value: evidence from an event study," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 811-833, July.
    16. Elena Korchagina, 2019. "Consumers Attitudes to Innovations in Retail: A Case of Introducing the Self-Scanning Technology in Russia," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 7(3), pages 34-43.
    17. Sheng-Chi Chen & Shari S. C. Shang, 2021. "Sustaining User Experience in a Smart System in the Retail Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, May.
    18. Ramadan, Zahy B., 2021. "“Alexafying†shoppers: The examination of Amazon's captive relationship strategy," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    19. Chang, Yu-Wei & Chen, Jiahe, 2021. "What motivates customers to shop in smart shops? The impacts of smart technology and technology readiness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    20. Yunjeong Kim, 2021. "Revitalization of Offline Fashion Stores: Exploring Strategies to Improve the Smart Retailing Experience by Applying Mobile Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:59:y:2021:i:c:s0969698920313643. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.