IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v84y2026ics0160791x25003239.html

AI-driven unmanned convenience stores: Transforming retail with innovation and experiential quality

Author

Listed:
  • Butt, Asad Hassan
  • Ahmad, Hassan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought substantial changes to current business models, and artificial intelligence (AI) has played a crucial role in driving this transformation. Unmanned convenience stores, powered by AI, are poised to revolutionize the future of innovative retail brand development. Leveraging the innovation diffusion and technology acceptance model theories, we have developed a framework that incorporates context-specific variables of AI to implement this innovation. Using a sample size of 743 respondents, the study provides a robust foundation for comprehending consumers' experiential consumption. Our findings reveal that experiential quality has a positive impact on word of mouth, satisfaction, and continuous intention. These insights offer valuable insights to both academicians and retail brand management professionals regarding the potential of AI tools in driving innovative retail technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Butt, Asad Hassan & Ahmad, Hassan, 2026. "AI-driven unmanned convenience stores: Transforming retail with innovation and experiential quality," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:84:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x25003239
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103133
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X25003239
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103133?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ned Kock, 2015. "PLS-based SEM Algorithms: The Good Neighbor Assumption, Collinearity, and Nonlinearity," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 7(2), pages 113-130.
    2. Dwivedi, Abhishek & Nayeem, Tahmid & Murshed, Feisal, 2018. "Brand experience and consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) a price premium: Mediating role of brand credibility and perceived uniqueness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 100-107.
    3. Lin, Shunzhi & Lin, Jiabao, 2023. "How organizations leverage digital technology to develop customization and enhance customer relationship performance: An empirical investigation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    4. Maik Dehnert & Josephine Schumann, 2022. "Uncovering the digitalization impact on consumer decision-making for checking accounts in banking," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(3), pages 1503-1528, September.
    5. Saifeddin Alimamy & Kenneth R. Deans & Juergen Gnoth, 2018. "The Role of Augmented Reality in the Interactivity of Co-Creation: A Critical Review," International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI), IGI Global Scientific Publishing, vol. 14(3), pages 88-104, July.
    6. Nikhashemi, S.R. & Knight, Helena H. & Nusair, Khaldoon & Liat, Cheng Boon, 2021. "Augmented reality in smart retailing: A (n) (A) Symmetric Approach to continuous intention to use retail brands’ mobile AR apps," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    7. Eduardo Veiga Bueno & Tiziana Brenner Beauchamp Weber & Emerson Luiz Bomfim & Heitor Takashi Kato, 2019. "Measuring customer experience in service: A systematic review," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(11-12), pages 779-798, September.
    8. Meng Tao & Muhammad Zahid Nawaz & Shahid Nawaz & Asad Hassan Butt & Hassan Ahmad, 2018. "Users’ acceptance of innovative mobile hotel booking trends: UK vs. PRC," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 9-36, December.
    9. Park, Hyun Jung & Zhang, Yining, 2022. "Technology readiness and technology paradox of unmanned convenience store users," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Hollebeek, Linda D. & Belk, Russell, 2021. "Consumers’ technology-facilitated brand engagement and wellbeing: Positivist TAM/PERMA- vs. Consumer Culture Theory perspectives," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 387-401.
    11. Fernandes, Teresa & Pinto, Teresa, 2019. "Relationship quality determinants and outcomes in retail banking services: The role of customer experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 30-41.
    12. Shu Lin Wang & Hsin I Lin, 2019. "Integrating TTF and IDT to evaluate user intention of big data analytics in mobile cloud healthcare system," Behaviour and Information Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(9), pages 974-985, September.
    13. Yeo, Vincent Cheow Sern & Goh, See-Kwong & Rezaei, Sajad, 2017. "Consumer experiences, attitude and behavioral intention toward online food delivery (OFD) services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 150-162.
    14. Arghashi, Vahideh & Yuksel, Cenk Arsun, 2022. "Interactivity, Inspiration, and Perceived Usefulness! How retailers’ AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    15. Reis, João & Melão, Nuno & Salvadorinho, Juliana & Soares, Bárbara & Rosete, Ana, 2020. "Service robots in the hospitality industry: The case of Henn-na hotel, Japan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    16. Fred D. Davis & Richard P. Bagozzi & Paul R. Warshaw, 1989. "User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(8), pages 982-1003, August.
    17. Jörg Henseler & Marko Sarstedt, 2013. "Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling," Computational Statistics, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 565-580, April.
    18. Bagheri, Reyhaneh & Ostovar, Shahla & Griffiths, Mark D. & Mohd Hashim, Intan Hashimah, 2023. "Server connection versus marital disconnection: An investigation of the effect of internet addiction on couple burnout in Iran," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    19. Stephanie M. Noble & Martin Mende, 2023. "The future of artificial intelligence and robotics in the retail and service sector: Sketching the field of consumer-robot-experiences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 747-756, July.
    20. Cowan, Kirsten & Ketron, Seth, 2019. "A dual model of product involvement for effective virtual reality: The roles of imagination, co-creation, telepresence, and interactivity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 483-492.
    21. Yuping Liu-Thompkins & Shintaro Okazaki & Hairong Li, 2022. "Artificial empathy in marketing interactions: Bridging the human-AI gap in affective and social customer experience," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(6), pages 1198-1218, November.
    22. Gary C. Moore & Izak Benbasat, 1991. "Development of an Instrument to Measure the Perceptions of Adopting an Information Technology Innovation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 2(3), pages 192-222, September.
    23. Fernandes, Teresa & Cruz, Mariana, 2016. "Dimensions and outcomes of experience quality in tourism: The case of Port wine cellars," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 371-379.
    24. Rajak, Manindra & Shaw, Krishnendu, 2021. "An extension of technology acceptance model for mHealth user adoption," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    25. Manis, Kerry T. & Choi, Danny, 2019. "The virtual reality hardware acceptance model (VR-HAM): Extending and individuating the technology acceptance model (TAM) for virtual reality hardware," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 503-513.
    26. Hoyer, Wayne D. & Kroschke, Mirja & Schmitt, Bernd & Kraume, Karsten & Shankar, Venkatesh, 2020. "Transforming the Customer Experience Through New Technologies," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 57-71.
    27. Xuhui Wang & Asad Hassan Butt & Qilin Zhang & Muhammad Nouman Shafique & Hassaan Ahmad & Zahid Nawaz, 2020. "Gaming Avatar Can Influence Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle: Be Like an Avatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, March.
    28. Pantano, Eleonora & Pedeliento, Giuseppe & Christodoulides, George, 2022. "A strategic framework for technological innovations in support of the customer experience: A focus on luxury retailers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    29. John Hulland, 1999. "Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 195-204, February.
    30. Ashley S. Otto & David M. Szymanski & Rajan Varadarajan, 2020. "Customer satisfaction and firm performance: insights from over a quarter century of empirical research," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 543-564, May.
    31. Sanjit Kumar Roy & Walfried M. Lassar & Vaibhav Shekhar, 2016. "Convenience and satisfaction: mediation of fairness and quality," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(5-6), pages 239-260, April.
    32. Verhoef, Peter C. & Broekhuizen, Thijs & Bart, Yakov & Bhattacharya, Abhi & Qi Dong, John & Fabian, Nicolai & Haenlein, Michael, 2021. "Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 889-901.
    33. Wu, Hung-Che & Ai, Chi-Han & Cheng, Ching-Chan, 2019. "Experiential quality, experiential psychological states and experiential outcomes in an unmanned convenience store," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 409-420.
    34. Kuppelwieser, Volker G. & Klaus, Phil, 2021. "Measuring customer experience quality: The EXQ scale revisited," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 624-633.
    35. Branstad, Are & Solem, Birgit A., 2020. "Emerging theories of consumer-driven market innovation, adoption, and diffusion: A selective review of consumer-oriented studies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 561-571.
    36. Molinillo, Sebastian & Aguilar-Illescas, Rocío & Anaya-Sánchez, Rafael & Carvajal-Trujillo, Elena, 2022. "The customer retail app experience: Implications for customer loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    37. Ozturk, Ahmet Bulent & Bilgihan, Anil & Nusair, Khaldoon & Okumus, Fevzi, 2016. "What keeps the mobile hotel booking users loyal? Investigating the roles of self-efficacy, compatibility, perceived ease of use, and perceived convenience," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1350-1359.
    38. 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).
    39. Tim Hilken & Ko de Ruyter & Mathew Chylinski & Dominik Mahr & Debbie I. Keeling, 2017. "Augmenting the eye of the beholder: exploring the strategic potential of augmented reality to enhance online service experiences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 884-905, November.
    40. Argo, Jennifer J. & Dahl, Darren W., 2020. "Social Influence in the Retail Context: A Contemporary Review of the Literature," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 25-39.
    41. Nagaraj, Samala & Singh, Soumya & Yasa, Venkat Reddy, 2021. "Factors affecting consumers’ willingness to subscribe to over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services in India," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    42. Kim, Kyuree & Chung, Te-Lin (Doreen) & Fiore, Ann Marie, 2023. "The role of interactivity from Instagram advertisements in shaping young female fashion consumers’ perceived value and behavioral intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    43. Brauner, Philipp & Ziefle, Martina, 2022. "Beyond playful learning – Serious games for the human-centric digital transformation of production and a design process model," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    44. Jaklič, Jurij & Grublješič, Tanja & Popovič, Aleš, 2018. "The role of compatibility in predicting business intelligence and analytics use intentions," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 305-318.
    45. Gursoy, Dogan & Chi, Oscar Hengxuan & Lu, Lu & Nunkoo, Robin, 2019. "Consumers acceptance of artificially intelligent (AI) device use in service delivery," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 157-169.
    46. Moriuchi, Emi & Takahashi, Ikuo, 2018. "An empirical investigation of the factors motivating Japanese repeat consumers to review their shopping experiences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 381-390.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Nam, Youngwon & Lee, Sihyun & Lee, Hoyoung, 2025. "Consumer preferences for unmanned stores: A choice experiment study," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    2. Asrar Ahmed Sabir & Iftikhar Ahmad & Hassan Ahmad & Muhammad Rafiq & Muhammad Asghar Khan & Neelum Noreen, 2023. "Consumer Acceptance and Adoption of AI Robo-Advisors in Fintech Industry," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-24, March.
    3. He, Bei & Alshaghdali, Nourah O. & Ren, Yuheng & Romano, Marco & Cuomo, Maria Teresa, 2025. "Augmenting user experience in the AI-transitioned metaverse: The role of knowledge management in socio-economic inclusion," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Schultz, Carsten D. & Kumar, Harish, 2024. "ARvolution: Decoding consumer motivation and value dimensions in augmented reality," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. Jayaswal, Pragya & Parida, Biswajita, 2023. "The role of augmented reality in redefining e-tailing: A review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    6. Meena, Rahul & Sarabhai, Samar, 2023. "Extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for usage continuance of hedonic mobile apps," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    7. Kumar Saurabh & Parijat Upadhyay & Neelam Rani, 2025. "Towards Blockchain Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) Design," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 659-681, April.
    8. Cheng-Feng Cheng & Chien-Che Huang & Ming-Chang Lin & Ta-Cheng Chen, 2023. "Exploring Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing on Artificial Intelligence Adopting Intention," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    9. Vieira, Valter Afonso & Rafael, Diego Nogueira & Agnihotri, Raj, 2022. "Augmented reality generalizations: A meta-analytical review on consumer-related outcomes and the mediating role of hedonic and utilitarian values," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 170-184.
    10. Jiang, Yi & Wang, Xueqin & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2021. "Augmented reality shopping application usage: The influence of attitude, value, and characteristics of innovation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Wedel, Michel & Bigné, Enrique & Zhang, Jie, 2020. "Virtual and augmented reality: Advancing research in consumer marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 443-465.
    12. Swapan Kumar Saha & Guijun Zhuang & Sihan Li, 2020. "Will Consumers Pay More for Efficient Delivery? An Empirical Study of What Affects E-Customers’ Satisfaction and Willingness to Pay on Online Shopping in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, February.
    13. Soren, Anup Anurag & Chakraborty, Shibashish, 2024. "Adoption, satisfaction, trust, and commitment of over-the-top platforms: An integrated approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    14. Diksha Sharma, 2023. "Unveiling Augmented Reality Trends in the Retail Industry: A Systematic and Bibliometric Review," Paradigm, , vol. 27(2), pages 192-210, December.
    15. Janarthanan Balakrishnan & Yogesh K. Dwivedi & Laurie Hughes & Frederic Boy, 2024. "Enablers and Inhibitors of AI-Powered Voice Assistants: A Dual-Factor Approach by Integrating the Status Quo Bias and Technology Acceptance Model," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 921-942, June.
    16. Aslam, Usman & Davis, Leon, 2024. "Analyzing consumer expectations and experiences of Augmented Reality (AR) apps in the fashion retail sector," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Janotta, Frederica & Hogreve, Jens, 2024. "Ready for take-off? The dual role of affective and cognitive evaluations in the adoption of Urban Air Mobility services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    18. Saghafi, Fatemeh & Noorzad Moghaddam, Ehsan & Aslani, Alireza, 2017. "Examining effective factors in initial acceptance of high-tech localized technologies: Xamin, Iranian localized operating system," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 275-288.
    19. Mohamed Jasim, K., 2024. "Determinants of the continuance use of smart shopping carts: Findings from PLS-SEM and NCA," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Gartner, Johannes & Fink, Matthias & Maresch, Daniela, 2022. "The Role of Fear of Missing Out and Experience in the Formation of SME Decision Makers’ Intentions to Adopt New Manufacturing Technologies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:teinso:v:84:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x25003239. 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/technology-in-society .

    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.