Customer’s Adoption Intentions toward Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Services: Extending DOI Theory with Social Awkwardness and Use Experience

Abstract

The high demand and acute timeliness that characterizes instant delivery entail the challenges of high labor costs and an increase in courier traffic accidents. Autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) may serve as a key solution, with their attendant reduced labor input and higher efficiency. Customers play a key role in the successful implementation of ADVs on a large scale. However, understanding the factors that affect customers’ intentions to use ADVs is still limited. Compared to autonomous driving, ADV customers are ultimately not the real users, who only are served by ADVs during the last leg of a trip. On account of this, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) may not be well-fitted for explaining the dynamics involved in ADV adoption. Within the context of ADVs, our study identified influencing factors that have not been captured by prior studies. This study incorporates infection risk, use experience, and social awkwardness into the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory to explore customers’ intentions to use ADVs. Data from 691 survey respondents were collected to validate the research design. The results demonstrate that compatibility, social influence, infection risk, green image, social awkwardness, and use experience all have a significantly positive impact on customers’ intentions to adopt ADV services, while complexity and perceived risk both exhibited a negative impact. But no effect could be found for relative advantage, which may be because of the fact that customers only need ADVs to meet their delivery demand. This study contributes to understanding customers’ adoption intentions toward ADVs, informing policymakers in formulating ADV regulations and standards, and promoting the large-scale application of ADVs in instant delivery services.

Navigating the Future: Exploring AI Adoption in Chinese Higher Education Through the Lens of Diffusion Theory

“…Their attitudes towards technology, proficiency in using it, and willingness to assist students in learning to use it can significantly influence students' adoption decisions (Lu et al, 2023;McConnell et al, 2020;Miah et al, 2023). Instructors can act as role models, demonstrating the benefits of technology and providing support and guidance to students as they learn to use it (Granić, 2022b;Lu et al, 2023). The university environment, including its culture, infrastructure, and policies, can also impact technology adoption.…”

Application of the extended value-belief-norm (VBN) theory to understand consumers’ intention to use autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs)

“…According to McKinsey's prediction in 2017 that 80% of package deliveries will be delivered automatically in the next ten years [ 10 , 11 ]. According to the report “Identity and Road Safety of Autonomous Delivery Vehicles” jointly published by China Electric Vehicle Association and Meituan, the market space for autonomous delivery can reach 750 billion yuan based on the stock market [ 12 ]. With the further expansion of the takeout, new retail, and the last-mile delivery markets, the autonomous delivery market is expected to reach the trillion-dollar level by 2030.…”

“…On June 20, 2022, the Autonomous Delivery Joint Innovation Center (hereinafter referred to as the Innovation Center), led by the China Electric Vehicle Association, was established. The members of the Innovation Center include 18 enterprises, including Alibaba Dharma Academy, Baidu, Huawei, JD X Division, Meituan autonomous delivery, etc., which will work together to promote the solution of testing standards, access certification systems, and traffic management systems, etc., for autonomous delivery scenarios, and promote the standardized and orderly development of the autonomous delivery industry [ 12 ].…”

“…Delivery costs remain a persistent problem in the e-commerce and express delivery industries [ 1 , 12 , 14 ]. This situation is further exacerbated by labor shortages compared to the pre-epidemic period.…”