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Examining the influence of control and convenience in a self-service setting

  • Original Empirical Research
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Abstract

The constructs of perceived control and convenience have been identified in previous qualitative studies of self-service technology (SST) use as important factors; yet empirically their effects are relatively unknown. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study explores how control and convenience perceptions influence customers’ utilitarian (speed of transaction) and hedonic (exploration) motivations for using an SST. In addition, we explore how trust in a service provider influences customers’ future SST intentions. Two studies were undertaken to assess both users and nonusers’ evaluations of an SST. The results revealed that perceived control and convenience do impact the intentions of customers to use an SST in the future; however, their impact was mediated through the constructs of speed of transaction, exploration, and trust. Increased control and convenience perceptions influenced exploration, trust and speed evaluations, which in turn were associated with stronger perceived value, higher SST satisfaction judgments, and increased SST usage intentions. Managerial implications stemming from the empirical findings are discussed along with directions for future research.

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Notes

  1. To account for possible alternative models, the authors performed an analysis with two different models to see if the current model was a better fit. The first alternative model excluded perceived value and satisfaction and had a direct link from trust, exploration, and speed of transaction to intentions. The second alternative model excluded control and convenience and had trust, speed of transaction, and exploration as the initial predictor variables. Both alternative models did not have a good fit to the data (Alt 1 χ2 = 256, df 3; Alt 2 χ2 = 40.5, df 3) providing initial evidence against the possibility of alternatives models being superior to the conceptualized model of the study.

  2. The authors also performed an analysis with the full structural model, including all individual measurement items, and found that none of the relationships altered from the path model. Since none of the relationships changed, we decided to use the path model for parsimony reasons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis, and Business Law, College of Business, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9582, Mississippi, MS, 39762, USA

    Joel E. Collier

  2. Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Mgmt., Fogelman College of Business, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Daniel L. Sherrell

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  1. Joel E. Collier
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Correspondence to Joel E. Collier.

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Collier, J.E., Sherrell, D.L. Examining the influence of control and convenience in a self-service setting. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 38, 490–509 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-009-0179-4

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