The role of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and emotions in motivating consumers to use self-checkouts

초록

The current study develops three objectives to examine consumers’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to the use of self-checkouts. First, we examine the roles of self-efficacy and outcome expectations, which are key cognitive factors grounded in the social cognitive theory. Second, we investigate the role of emotions through the lens of the appraisal theory and the standard learning hierarchy (cognition-affect-behavior) approach. Third, the moderating role of regulatory focus in the process in which self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and emotions determine intentions to use self-checkouts. Based on social cognitive theory, appraisal theory, hierarchy of effects, and regulatory focus theory, we propose a comprehensive model for investigating consumer use of self-checkouts and develop 14 research hypotheses. Qualified participants for this study were Korean consumers who had used self-checkouts in retail stores at least once in the past six months. The survey participants were panel members prerecruited by a market research company in Korea. All the scales were composed of multiple items and were mostly derived from previous studies. The data collected from 322 participants were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS macro with SPSS (Model 58). The respondents had a mean age of 44.9 years, were 59% women and 41% men, and were mostly married (65.2%). The largest percentage of respondents (29.5%) earned an average monthly income of KRW 3~5 million (USD $2,327~3,879), and approximately half (51.6%) had completed a bachelor‘s degree. Overall, the results from the study mostly supported the proposed research hypotheses. Self-efficacy beliefs led consumers to expect positive performance-related and personal outcomes from using self-checkouts. Also, self-efficacy led them to feel more positive emotions such as cheerfulness and quiescence and fewer negative emotions such as dejection and agitation.