The Direct Effects of Artificial Consciousness on Hypermarket Regeneration in the Australian Retail Sector

This paper explores the impact of Artificial Consciousness (AC) capabilities on Hypermarket Regeneration (HR) in the Australian retail sector. The Australian hypermarkets face increasing pressures to regenerate due to digital competition, evolving customer expectations, sustainability requirements, and the need for adaptive technology-enabled decision-making. While artificial intelligence is becoming a key element of retail transformations, little research has explored Artificial Consciousness as a multidimensional concept with capabilities that facilitate retail regeneration. Considering AC capabilities as cognitive-adaptive and socio-ethical ones, this study explores the impact of six AC dimensions: Customer Behavior Analytics, Personalized Shopping Experience, Self-Learning Capabilities, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, and Ethical Reasoning. Using a descriptive quantitative research approach, a cross sectional study was conducted among Australian hypermarkets' employees and decision-makers. The sample included 278 valid responses, which were statistically analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. It was revealed that Personalized Shopping Experience, Self learning Capabilities, and Ethical Reasoning positively influence Hypermarket Regeneration, whereas Customer Behavior Analytics, Emotional Intelligence, and Social Intelligence lack significant direct effects. The proposed model explains 24.46% of HR variance. The findings suggest that AC has a selective impact on hypermarket regeneration. The current paper contributes to the literature on retail technology by translating AC from a theoretical to empirical construct and offers valuable insights for Australian hypermarket managers.