Customers’ intention to use robot-serviced restaurants in Korea: relationship of coolness and MCI factors

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to empirically test a theoretical model by defining customers’ intention to use services of restaurant robots, which are rapidly developing in Korea. The proposed model incorporates three stages: coolness, motivated consumer innovativeness (MCI) and the theory of planned behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A total of 420 questionnaires were issued. The results were analysed to verify the reliability and validity of the measured variables. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings The results showed that hedonically motivated consumer innovativeness (hMCI) and socially motivated consumer innovativeness (sMCI) have positive effects on attitude and are enhanced by attractiveness, utility, subcultural appeal and originality. However, the relationship between MCI and attitude differed among age groups. Practical implications The results revealed that sensory elements of robot services improve customer attitudes towards the use of robots in restaurants. This is a key finding that restaurant marketers should consider, because non-face-to-face services are becoming increasingly important in the current COVID-19 context. Originality/value This study analysed the relationship between coolness, MCI and the theory of planned behaviour in the context of robot-serviced restaurants and how the relationship between MCIs and attitude differed among the young and older customers. Practical implications are suggested.

A literature survey of the robotic technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similar to the medical robots, the service robot plays the role of the shield between the tourists and employees in the catering industry. The customers’ opinion of robot-serviced restaurants was investigated in Korea [ 127 ]. Utility, attractiveness, subcultural appeal, and originality are identified as the top impactors to the motivated consumer innovativeness of the customers.…”

Attachment styles moderate customer responses to frontline service robots: Evidence from affective, attitudinal, and behavioral measures

“…For instance, Belanche et al (2020) found that customers make stronger attributions of responsibility for the service performance to human employees than to service robots, especially when service failure occurs. Moreover, in a study on the antecedents of customers' intention to use services of restaurant robots, Cha (2020) found that both hedonically and socially motivated consumer innovativeness have positive effects on customers' attitudes toward service robots.…”

“…Moreover, Jörling et al (2019) found that the perceived autonomy of the robots leads to a decrease in customers' feelings of control. In restaurant settings, sensory elements of the robot service improve customer affective and attitudinal responses towards the use of robots (Cha, 2020). In hotel settings, customer intention to adopt hotel service robots is likely to be influenced by robot's level of anthropomorphism (Tussyadiah & Park, 2018).…”

“…Notably, the empirical evidence of the uncanny valley in response to a variety of service robots is inconsistent (for a discussion on possible reasons for this inconsistency see Kätsyri et al, 2015 and Piwek et al, 2014), which does not allow us to make a clear proposition on how the level of robot anthropomorphism will affect the role of customers' AAS in moderating customer responses to human (vs. frontline robot) service provider. Moreover, previous research on human–robot interaction suggests that the robots' anthropomorphism can influence different types of customer responses, namely affective responses (enjoyment), attitudinal responses (trust), and behavioral responses (Cha, 2020; van Pinxteren et al, 2019). For example, Chan and Tung (2019) found that customers report more pleasant experience when human employees rather than frontline service robots delivered the service.…”

Operation policy of multi-capacity logistic robots in hotel industry

“…Milman et al (2020) argued that safety qualities and human orientation qualities of service robots are the core elements affecting the perceived robotic functionality of theme park visitors, regardless of their design. In case of restaurants, Cha (2020) derived that the robots’ ability to interact with their customers has more significant impact on customer’s usefulness of robots rather than the technical aspects. Among many elements of consumer innovativeness, Kim et al (2020) demonstrated that hedonic experience-seeking, quality experience-seeking, social distinctiveness and venturesomeness positively influence the overall image of the restaurant adopting robots.…”