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This research aims (i) to assess the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty to self-service technologies and Auchan Retail Portugal, (ii) to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty to these technologies and also, (iii) to identify their influence on customer loyalty to this modern distribution retailer operating in Portugal.

A conceptual model was defined to meet the research objectives and to carry out the quantitative analysis applied to the random sample (n = 483) of customers. The data used where gathered via an online questionnaire survey, which covered all dimensions of the conceptual model, applied in 2021 in Portugal. To validate the hypotheses, Cronbach’s alpha and multiple linear regression models were used.

The results reveal that customer satisfaction with self-service technologies has a direct and positive effect on customer loyalty to Auchan Retail Portugal. Furthermore, results reveal that the technology utility factors significantly influence the customer technology experience which has an impact on perceived service quality and perceived risk. The findings of this research provide data on how to improve customer adoption and satisfaction with self-service technology and highlight that these technologies should be part of firm’s competitive strategy.

This study presents itself as a novelty for science, while granting important contributions to the retailer. It presents an innovative conceptual model that delivers to Auchan the basis for it to move toward smart retail technologies, aiming at the market trend of personalization. For future research, this study can be used as an instrument to evaluate the customer experience with self-service technology and to examine the determinants and effects of self-service technology separately.

The purpose of this paper is to test the effect that anthropomorphic framing (i.e. robot vs automatic machine) has on consumers’ responses in case of service failure. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that consumers hold an unconscious association between the word “robot” and agency and that the higher agency attributed to self-service machines framed as robots (vs automatic machines) leads, in turn, to a more positive service evaluation in case of service failure.

The authors have conducted four experimental studies to test the framework presented in this paper. In Studies 1a and 1b, the authors used an Implicit Association Test to test for the unconscious association held by consumers about robots as being intelligent machines (i.e. agency). In Studies 2 and 3, the authors tested the effect that framing technology as robots (vs automatic machines) has on consumers’ responses to service failure using two online experiments across different consumption contexts (hotel, restaurant) and using different dependent variables (service evaluation, satisfaction and word-of-mouth).

The authors show that consumers evaluate more positively a service failure involving a self-service technology framed as a robot rather than one framed as an automatic machine. They provide evidence that this effect is driven by higher perceptions of agency and that the association between technology and agency held by consumers is an unconscious one.

This paper investigates a novel driver of consumers’ perception of agency of technology, namely, how the technology is framed. Moreover, this study sheds light on consumers’ responses to technology’s service failure.

This study examined the antecedents of technostressors as well as how customers' perceived convenience and technostressors of using a check-in/out kiosk influence their behavioral intention in a full-service hotel setting.

Using survey data collected from 630 hotel customers, hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis.

The results showed that perceived usefulness of a check-in/out kiosk had direct effects on both technostressors (i.e. work overload and role ambiguity), and that perceived ease-of-use had indirect effects on the technostressors, via perceived usefulness. The findings showed that both role ambiguity and perceived convenience significantly influenced intention to use a check-in/out kiosk. Intention to use was positively associated with intention to revisit a hotel providing the kiosk. These findings were equivalent across the younger and older groups.

Based on the findings, hotels can implement effective strategies to reduce technostressors associated with a check-in/out kiosk and focus on enhancing the factors that influence customer acceptance of the system. This is especially important given the increased emphasis on self-service technology since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research contributed to the relevant literature by developing a check-in/out kiosk acceptance model using a multi-theoretical approach, and empirically testing it within the full-service hotel domain. It fills the knowledge gap regarding the antecedents and outcomes of technostressors in the hospitality research literature by providing empirical evidence.

The growth of self-service technologies (SST) in the retail sector has led to an increased prevalence of SST failures, and spurred academic debate on customer self-recovery of the failed services. This study sets out to explore why customers prefer or decline to engage in self-recovery. A framework integrating elements from self-determination theory and theory of planned behavior is developed to explore the impact of motivational factors, attitudes and self-efficacy on self-recovery intention.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the sample consisting of 297 users of retail kiosks in convenience stores.

The results revealed that intrinsic motivation and identified regulation directly affect customers' attitude and intention to engage in self-recovery. Despite an insignificant direct relationship, external regulation impacted self-recovery intention through attitude. Further, the association between intrinsic motivation and self-recovery intention is moderated by self-efficacy.

Much of the extant SST recovery literature has focused on company-rendered service recovery, providing little guidance to firms on how to promote self-recovery among customers. The integrated motivational-cognitive theoretical base in this study allows for a more differentiated inquiry into the factors shaping self-recovery intention, resulting in a deeper understanding of this topic. The novel insights will help retailers develop effective strategies for promoting self-recovery among users of retail kiosks.

While the importance of human touch for maintaining a tech–touch balance has been stressed, little knowledge exists regarding how such human elements should be incorporated in service settings dominated by technologies. This study aims to examine the outcomes of human touch levels across different travel stages in a hotel stay context.

Data were collected through a survey on 900 participants. Latent class analysis was first conducted to categorize the sample into groups based on human touch levels. Hypotheses were then tested using regression-based moderation analysis with the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Human touch level negatively predicts perceived risk, which is negatively associated with satisfaction. These effects are particularly significant at check-in and check-out stages. Informational privacy significantly moderates the effect of human touch level on perceived risk. Such interaction effects were spotted at the booking and check-out stages.

This study contributes to theory by revealing the role of human touch elements in technology-driven service scenarios and provides practical guidelines for hotels on sharpening service experience by integrating human touch and technology elements.

Through integrating the service encounter framework and concept of customer touchpoints, this study takes a different approach that integrates both “tech” and “touch” by investigating the effects of customer-owned touchpoints in each core stage of a hotel stay journey.

This study aims to investigate how different menu types trigger diners’ behavioral intentions in restaurants’ innovation diffusion from paper to digital menus.

Four menu types, namely, paper menus with text only, paper menus with text and images, digital menus that show text and images or text and video with self-service technological functionality, are designed to empirically examine a mental process through which perceived information quality, perceived food quality and perceived service quality influence diners’ behavioral intentions.

Based on the online survey data from 502 diners, results show that the menu design influences customers’ perceptions. The video-based digital menu is the most effective to generate diners’ behavioral intentions, followed by a paper menu with text and images.

This study contributes to the innovation diffusion theory and stimulus-organism-responses theory to encourage the joint use of auditory and visual channels for digital menu design in restaurants.

The authors confirm the digital transformation in menu design in restaurants. Restaurant diners are also prepared and comfortable with digital menus, especially in the postpandemic world.

本研究目的在于调查在餐厅从纸质菜单到数字菜单的创新扩散过程中, 不同菜单类型如何影响餐厅客人的行为意向。

通过设计并使用四种菜单类型, 分别为只有文本的纸质菜单、具有文本和图片的纸质菜单、显示文本和图片或文本和视频的数字菜单以及具有自助技术功能的数字菜单, 本研究以实证方法考察了感知信息质量、感知食品质量和感知服务质量如何影响餐厅客人的行为意向的心理过程。

根据对502名餐厅客人的在线调查数据显示, 菜单设计影响了客人的感知。基于视频的数字菜单是影响餐厅客人行为意向最有效的菜单类型, 其次是文本和图片的纸质菜单。

本研究表明应鼓励在餐厅数字菜单设计中同时使用听觉和视觉元素。因此, 为研究促进了创新扩散理论和刺激-有机体-反应理论的发展。

我们证实了数字菜单在餐厅菜单设计中的转型。餐厅客人, 尤其是在在后疫情时代, 已经准备好并愿意接受使用数字菜单。

Despite the growing number of cashierless stores, few studies have examined the factors that influence the success of such stores. This paper aims to identify the influence of store attributes in customers’ affective attitudes regarding cashierless stores and to understand how customers’ need for interaction and risk reduction affect the relationship between customer experiences and evaluation.

Quantitative research is conducted using a partial least squares structural equation model. Data was collected from 174 customers with cashierless store experience.

The results identify the influence of hedonic and utilitarian characteristics on affective attitudes and the impact of attitudes on behavioral intentions. Also, multigroup analysis reveals that hedonic features are stronger indicators of customer attitudes among those with a low need for interaction, whereas utilitarian attributes are more important among customers with a low need for risk reduction. Customers’ affective attitudes are stronger influences on behavioral intentions among members of customer groups with a low need for both interaction and risk reduction.

To add to the limited research in customers’ experience with unstaffed stores, this study provides useful insights to achieve sustainable growth in the retailing context. Managerial considerations suggest that operators of cashierless stores should design store environments to guarantee customers’ purchasing and recommendation intentions.

Understanding customers’ experiences with self-service technology (SST) is of high importance to service research. Previous research, however, has mainly focused on customers who are adept in using SST services. This study aims to provide insights into the under-researched field of the experiences of customers’ with difficulties in using SST.

Drawing on self-determination theory, the role of motivational aspects in SST usage behavior is proposed. A model involving perceived needs and intrinsic motivation is developed and empirically tested in a survey among 213 American customers with difficulties using SST in restaurant service settings.

The results show that customers’ perceived competence strongly influences their motivation to engage with SST, followed by autonomy and relatedness. Results also find the positive and significant impact of intrinsic motivation on satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Finally, multi-group analysis is performed to examine differences between customers with low and high technology anxiety. Results show that perceived autonomy and competence from SST usage are strong indicators among customers with low technology anxiety, and that relatedness is a major determinant of intrinsic motivation among customers with high technology anxiety.

As a neglected area of research has been in customers who have difficulty in using SST, the findings of this study provide useful guidelines to address customers’ difficulties in using SST.

了解客户对自助服务技术（SST）的体验对于服务研究非常重要。然而, 以往的研究主要关注于熟练使用SST服务的客户。本文探索了使用SST存在困难的客户的体验, 为这个尚未被研究的领域提供见解。

基于自我决定理论, 本研究提出了SST使用行为中动机方面的假想, 并设计了一个包含感知需求和内在动机的模型。通过对213名在餐厅服务环境中使用SST存在困难的美国客户进行调查, 该模型得到了实证测试。

结果显示, 客户的感知能力强烈影响他们使用SST的动机, 其次是自主性和关联感。结果还发现, 内在动机对满意度和行为意图有积极而显著的影响。最后, 本研究进行了多组分析, 以检查技术焦虑程度高和低的客户之间的差异。结果显示, 在技术焦虑程度低的客户中, SST使用的自主性和能力是强烈的指标, 而在技术焦虑程度高的客户中, 关联感是内在动机的主要决定因素。

由于以前的研究主要关注于熟练使用SST服务的客户, 因此SST使用存在困难的客户是一个被忽视的研究领域。本研究的发现为解决客户在使用SST方面的困难提供了重要的指导。

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the interrelationship between customer acceptance and usage of self-ordering kiosks, purchase behaviour and post-purchase behaviour in quick-service restaurants. This study also hypothesised that the perceived safety risk moderates the relationship between customer purchase and post-purchase behaviour.

This study adopted a quantitative research methodology using an online survey. During the data collection process, 430 responses were obtained. The partial-least square-structural equation modelling was used to test the study’s model and hypotheses.

The results of this study indicated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and trust significantly influence purchase behaviour through the self-ordering kiosks. Meanwhile, price value and customer habit did not affect purchasing behaviour, while perceived safety risk as a moderator does not influence re-purchase behaviour.

This study provides valuable implications for foodservice researchers and marketers related explicitly to technology adoption in restaurant services. Given the positive outlook on self-ordering kiosk usage, quick-service restaurants should continuously improve their ordering kiosk adoption and efficiency, especially during the health pandemic.

This study is one of the few to predict and explain the consumer acceptance of self-service kiosks by integrating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model with other essential behavioural constructs. The inclusion of trust and perceived safety risk construct enhances the study model’s adaptability during health crises.

Using retail banking as a setting and focusing specifically on elderly customers (i.e. individuals aged 60 or more), this study aims to deepen the current understanding of how the physical context and the need for human interaction influence elderly customers' attitudes toward self-service technologies (SSTs) and their behavior.

Using face-to-face questionnaires, a sample of 505 elderly bank customers was collected. Data were analyzed using a multi-method approach, combining a moderated mediation analysis with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

The findings suggest that a pleasant retail space may result in a positive attitude toward SSTs, which increases their co-creation intention. It also highlights that need for interaction of elderly customers with employees has detrimental effects on their attitude toward SSTs.

The current analysis was carried out among Italian elderly banks' customers. Thus, the results are highly dependent on the context of the analysis. In addition, it does not consider the different degrees of knowledge and experience the elderly may have with technology.

This study suggests that providing access and support for using technology may be essential for banks to facilitate SSTs adoption in elderly customers.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to examine the influence of the physical context on elderly customers' attitudes toward SSTs and their consequent behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of the human touch for these particular customers.