The future at the doorstep: what shapes acceptance of autonomous same-day delivery?

Purpose - This paper investigates the value of same-day delivery using autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) from the consumer's perspective. The study examines user acceptance of AGV-based delivery through the lens of the technology acceptance model (TAM), identifying key enablers and barriers to acceptance, as well as moderating factors such as gender, age and city size. Design/methodology/approach - A survey based on validated scales from existing literature was distributed via Prolific in the US market, providing a sample of 305 respondents. Data were analyzed using the partial least squares approach with SmartPLS4 software. Findings - Findings underscore the importance of core TAM variables in AGV delivery acceptance, the influence of technology-task fit and expected benefits on perceived usefulness, and the strong effect of attitude on intention to use. While performance risk negatively affected the intention to use AGV, legal and packaging concerns had no significant effect. Additionally, gender, age and city size were found to moderate several relationships in the model. Originality/value - This study is original in proposing a comprehensive theoretical model that integrates TAM with barriers to intention-to-use, sustainable personal norms and functional enablers such as task–technology fit and expected benefits, elements rarely examined together in same-day delivery research. It also advances the literature by demonstrating that user concerns, sustainability-driven motivations and contextual moderators (location, age, gender) jointly shape the adoption of AGV-based smart drone delivery, offering a multidimensional perspective not previously explored.