‘Consumption as Work’ - Questioning the Meaning of ‘Retirement’ in the Self-Service Economy

Abstract

This article contributes to the establishment of a new perspective in the debate on how to respond to the economic and social challenges of ageing society. It re-examines the productive activity of older people through the lens of the self-service economy and initiates a discussion on how the self-service economy can be leveraged to help deal with some of the challenges created by an ageing population. The article’s main argument is built on the growing importance of self-service and the potential for older consumers to engage in such production/consumption. The substantial efficiency gains surrounding increased levels of self-service are illustrated. The potential of the retired population engaging in self-service and thus dampen the life cycle deficit is highlighted. Self-service activity by older consumers is presented as a type of productive activity and as forming part of older people’s contribution to society. It is argued that the growing self-service nature of consumption brings the meaning of ‘retirement’ even further into question. The policy implications of self-service are explored and a wide range of suggestions for further research areas related to self-service and the older consumer are put forward.

Elderly Users’ Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Self-Service Technology in Fast-Food Restaurants

“…In terms of SST usage in general, a study investigated the association between servicescape and intentions to use SST [ 32 ], while another study examined how consumers’ perceptions of SSTs’ quality affect their emotional and cognitive states and their responses [ 33 ]. Concerning SST use by older people, one study examined users’ engagement in the production and consumption of SST from a service management perspective [ 34 ]. Additionally, a study examined the intentions to adopt SST among older consumers, considering chronological and subjective age and the future time perspective [ 9 ].…”

Achieving agency within imperfect automation: Working customers and self-service technologies

“…Hence, one factor influencing the engagement with self-service technologies is social comfort. There is evidence that older people avoid SACATs because they fear being embarrassed when they request assistance (Nicholls, 2020). Elderly consumers also feel uncomfortable when they perceive the service setting to be dominated by younger shoppers (Angell et al, 2014) and social awkwardness can result from the loss of discretion they would have to admit when others intervene, even if only to help (Tomazelli et al, 2017).…”

“…Consequently, most of the research around SACATs in marketing, business management and information systems deals with problems of adoption, customer satisfaction and retention, and the effects of the lack of personal contact on consumer loyalty (e.g., Dean, 2008; Larson, 2019; Lee and Lyu, 2019; Leng and Wee, 2017; Wang et al, 2012). Overall, this body of work stresses that the notion that self-checkout has only been partially successful, with merely a fraction of shoppers having the confidence, the capacity and the desire to use such devices (Nicholls, 2020). The age of the customers seems to play a central role in the adoption of self-serve technology, with older people being more sceptical of the innovation (Belanche et al, 2020) and requiring more face-to-face interactions (Čaić et al, 2018).…”

“…Older consumers also visit brick-and-mortar stores to communicate with people and enjoy their time shopping. Viewed from a social perspective, doing the groceries can entail chatting with acquaintances, gossiping and sharing news, and engaging with employees and other customers (Angell et al, 2014; Nicholls, 2020; Song et al, 2018). Of course, not every senior seeks out these more extensive and time-consuming interactions, and aspirations to slow down may not necessarily be limited to this group.…”

Robotic technologies and well-being for older adults living at home

“…While some research claims there is a declining acceptance of technology as people age (Berg, 2015;Wildenbos et al, 2018), this evidence is not consistent (Bae et al, 2021;Rogers, 2010;Szmigin and Carrigan, 2000). Similar inconsistent evidence exists among research on the acceptance and usage of self-service technologies among older adults (Chaouali and Souiden, 2019;Nicholls, 2020). The vast majority of the studies were conducted in aged care facilities and other formal care settings rather than in consumers' homes (Baisch et al, 2017;Chu et al, 2017;Khaksar et al, 2016;Khosla et al, 2017).…”