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Implementing Self-Service Technology
How far can you go?
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Implementing Self-Service Technology
How far can you go?
By: R. Verheijen
Qualification: Master thesis
University of Groningen
Faculty of Economics and Business
Msc Business Administration, Marketing Management
August, 2012
S1480650
First supervisor: dr. J.A. Voerman
Ralph Verheijen
Second supervisor: dr. J. van Doorn
Grote Akkerstraat 8
Organization: Loods 038 Self-Storage B.V.
7941 BB Meppel
06-28476432
3 Management summary
The goal of study is to develop a conceptual framework of customers’ reactions to forced use of SST and based on the framework, to determine how the affective reaction towards this channel is influenced. Customers from a Self-Storage company in Zwolle (Loods 038) and Zutphen (Opslagbox Zutphen) are used as a case study where customers are confronted with a hypothetical situation of the closure of customer desk and the replacement of this desk with SST. The closure of a customer desk will result in a reaction to this change. This can either be a negative (reactance) or a positive (compliance) reaction. When having feelings of reactance, the customer feels frustrated and emotional discomfort. On the other hand, showing a compliant reaction, the customer acknowledges the benefits of SST and has a positive attitude of adopting the technology.
These reactions result in an overall affective reaction , which is the overall feeling and emotion when being confronted with the use of the SST channel. This affective reaction ranges from feeling of high energy, concentration and pleasurable to feelings of distress and unpleasant engagement, such as anger, contempt, fear and nervousness. Reactance
influences the affective reaction negatively. On the other hand, compliance influences the affective reaction positively.
This study finds that technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction and previous
experience are moderators of the affective reaction. Technology anxiety, inertia and need for interaction have a negative influence on the affective reaction. On the other hand, previous experience has a positive influence. The level of technology anxiety proved to be low in this case study. This supports the theory that customers in low contact industries are more experienced in using technology. However, it appeared that personal contact is still important to the customers, which is the opposite of what one might expect.
A multiple regression analysis shows the relationships to the affective reaction when the constructs are compared to each other. This gives an overall view and accounts for multicollinearity issues. Compliance, need for interaction, reactance and two interaction effects proved to have a significantly relationship with the affective reaction. This model accounts for around 74% of the variance of the affective reaction.
4 Preface
Before you lies the final product before my graduation on the faculty of economics and business, with the master marketing management on the University of Groningen. For me, it is a major step to finally have come to completion of the thesis.
The initial stage of my thesis project already started back in 2009. Doing an internship at a photostock company in Amsterdam I learned many things about doing business and marketing in the photostock industry. For both the company and me, the internship was a success, where after completion of the internship the company offered me a job.
On the other hand, finalizing my thesis appeared to be more of a struggle. I decided to travel to South-America with my girlfriend for 3 months and think about how to proceed. During the stay in Peru, I took the decision of doing it differently. I kindly rejected the job offer I had received and decided to start my own company in Zwolle. My father owned a property that was in my view perfect for rebuilding it to a Self-Storage facility. There was the opportunity to rent the building and together with my girlfriend I started the project. Loods 038 opened in May 2010.
Unfortunately, during this process there was no time for continuing my thesis. In March 2011 I decided to start from scratch with a new topic and new supervisor, dr. Voerman. At Loods 038, I learned more about Self-Service Technology and how this is applied in several industries. At Loods 038, many processes are technology enabled. From the company point-of-view, learning more about customers and how they react to SST produces valuable information. It is a subject which appeared interesting for me personally and for my company.
5 Table of Contents Management summary ... 3 Preface ... 4 Table of Contents ... 5 1 Introduction ... 6 1.1 Research topic ... 6 1.1.1 Self-Service Technology ... 6
1.1.2 Forced channel migration ... 7
1.1.3 Reactions ... 7
1.1.4 Low contact industry... 8
1.2 Problem statement ... 8
1.3 Research questions ... 8
1.4 Market background ... 9
1.5 Structure of report ... 11
2 Theoretical framework ... 12
2.1 The technology paradox ... 12
2.2 Forced channel migration ... 12
2.3 Main reactions to forced use of SST ... 13
2.3.1 Reactance ... 13 2.3.2 Compliance ... 14 2.4 Affective reaction ... 15 2.5 Moderator Variables ... 15 2.5.1 Technology Anxiety ... 15 2.5.2 Inertia ... 16
2.5.3 Need for interaction ... 17
2.5.4 Previous experience ... 17 2.5.5 Confrontation ... 18 2.6 Control variables ... 18 2.7 Conceptual Framework ... 19 3 Research Design ... 20 3.1 Data collection ... 20 3.1.1 Data Design ... 20
3.1.2. Scaling and measurement of the variables ... 21
3.1.3 Sample Design ... 22
3.1.4 Sample size... 23
3.2 Data Analysis ... 24
3.3 Validity and reliability ... 26
4. Results ... 29
4.1 Descriptive statistics ... 29
4.2 Bivariate analysis ... 31
4.3 Multivariate analysis ... 32
4.4 Discussion of the result ... 36
4.5 Hypothesis overview ... 38
5 Conclusions, limitations and recommendation ... 39
5.1 Conclusions ... 39
5.2 Limitations and recommendations ... 41
Literature ... 42
6 1 Introduction
Service companies increasingly incorporate new technologies in the service process that involve active customer participation. These technologies are called Self-Service
Technologies – or SST’s. While multiple studies have researched SST’s and the problems of implementing them successfully (Meuter et al., 2000; Meuter et al., 2003; Meuter et al., 2005; Reinders et al., 2008; Curran et al., 2003; Yang et al., 2010), this study focuses on combining several studies. It brings together SST, forced channel migration and reactance theory in a practical situation of a low-contact industry. The study adds value to existing literature as it combines customer’s reactions to being forced using another channel as well as the usage of SST and applies this in a practical situation of a low contact industry.
1.1 Research topic
1.1.1 Self-Service Technology
Without a doubt, information technology has radically changed the way services are organized (Reinders et al., 2008). SST’s, which are technological interfaces that enable customers to “produce a service independent of direct service-employee involvement” (Meuter et al, 2000), replace the interaction between a staff member and a customer. In recent years, the concept of SST has been introduced widely in various kinds of service companies; both low contact services like automatic petrol filling stations, as high contact services like hotels and restaurants (Beatson et al., 2006) are now making use of SST. Other examples of implementation of SST are ordering flight tickets online, self-service gas stations, snack vending machines and online package tracking (Toolika, 2010).
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1.1.2 Forced channel migration
SST can be added as a new channel or can replace a different channel, like a customer desk. A channel is “a customer contact point, a medium through which the firm and customer interact” (Neslin et al. 2006). Multichannel customer management is the design, deployment, coordination, and evaluation of channels to enhance customer value through effective
customer acquisition, retention, and development. (Neslin et. al, 2006). An increasingly large share of customers can be seen a multichannel shoppers (Rangaswamy and van Bruggen, 2005; Verhoef et al. 2007) and they usually buy higher volumes (Neslin et. al 2006).
When replacing a channel by SST customers are forced to switch and use this new channel. Forced channel migration is referred to as “the process of moving a customer from one channel to another through coercive actions that enhance the efficiency of the firm’s channel operations” (Konus, 2010).
Examples can be given of companies that have decided to eliminate costly and ineffective channels. The Dutch railways stopped selling the railway guide ‘spoorboekje’, as it was being used less and was often outdated. Ryanair closed check in desks at the airports forcing customers to check in online. SST gives the company advantages like cost reductions. Eliminating these unprofitable channels gives the company a financial advantage.
1.1.3 Reactions
When customers are forced to use a different channel or are confronted with the
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1.1.4 Low contact industry
A disadvantage of SST mentioned in literature is the lack of personal contact (Curran et al., 2003; Meuter et al., 2005). Meeting customers face-to face gives companies the opportunity to build a strong relationship with a customer. Customers appreciate the personal contact and advice they receive from companies. However, how important are these
(dis)advantages however in a low contact industry? Low contact industries are characterized by efficient and producing services at a high productivity level (Verma and Young, 2000). Some examples of low contact industries are fast food, dry-cleaning and automobile repair (Verma and Young, 2000). Since personal contact in these industries is less important it can be expected that replacing a part of the interaction with SST meets less resistance.
Therefore, this study focuses on reactions of customers in low-contact industries.
1.2 Problem statement
“How can the affective reaction towards the use of Self-Service Technology be explained, considering the customer reactions in a low contact industry, such as the self-storage
market?”
1.3 Research questions
1. In what way is reactance related to the affective reaction towards the use of Self-Service Technology?
2. In what way is compliance related to the affective reaction towards the use of Self-Service Technology?
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1.4 Market background
This study uses the self-storage market as an example for low-contact industries. Self-Storage firms are organized in an efficient way; customers can perform most tasks by themselves, without the interference of an employee, which make them a suitable case study.
Self-Storage is a service offered to customers who have the need for temporarily storage. Self-Storage companies provide customers entrance to a storage building to move goods from and to the storage unit. Customers can get access to the storage unit whenever they prefer. Face-to-face contact with the employee of a Self-Storage facility is kept to a
minimum.
The concept of Self-Storage started in the United States in the 1970s . (The Ibus Company, 2011). In Europe, the UK was the first to adopt the concept in the 1980s and around 1995 Self-Storage arrived in continental Europe. (The Ibus Company, 2011). At the moment, there are about 160 Self-Storage facilities in the Netherlands (The Ibus Company, 2011). Today most of the larger cities have one or more Self-Storage facilities. This has resulted in a highly competitive market and has forced market players to differentiate themselves from their competitors. A more intensive use of SST can contribute to this. It opens up
possibilities opening Self-Storage facilities in smaller cities with fewer units.
Like in other industries, the internet is becoming more important in Storage. Some Self-Storage companies state that up to 50% of the customers find the facility online. (Inside Self-Storage, 2010a) The internet saves customers time in finding a storage company that suit their needs. The concept is also very suitable for the intensively use of the internet, due to the automation of most processes.
10 However, in the Netherlands, Self-Storage companies have not fully integrated SST yet. The self-service concept itself is the same; customers access the storage unit themselves.
However, in most companies the internet is only used only to give customers information about the products and services offered. Sometimes it is possible to do a reservation online, but to finalize the contract tenants have to visit the facility, sign the contract and do the payment. As stated earlier, opening unstaffed facilities makes it easier to operate in smaller cities and areas which otherwise would be unprofitable to serve due to high labor costs. But how will Dutch consumers react when implementing technology to the extent that no face-to-face contact with an employee is needed?
Maximizing the use of SST in the Self-Storage industry in the Netherlands will raise the need for a complete online reservation and paying system. When customers accept this and see the advantages like time savings and increased convenience, new tenants will start to use the new online reservation system more often. At some point the company can consider closing the customer desk at the facility, leaving customers no choice but to use the internet. Personal contact with the employee and the customer will mostly end. The service desk channel will be eliminated in favor of the online reservation system. For a Self-Storage facility, eliminating the service desk might be an attractive option to consider. Opening hours can be shorter or the facility can become unstaffed, resulting in substantial cost reductions. This example of the Self-Storage industry shows the possibilities and dangers of SST’s. The technology itself has many advantages for both customers and firms, but when not
implemented well or not functioning properly, it can make customers unhappy and
dissatisfied. Successful implementation of SST can be difficult. A Forrester Research found that from 41 % of the companies the ROI on SST projects are low. In order for SST to be successful it has to be adopted by customers (Meuter et al., 2005).
SST’s changes service industries. But what are the consequences of the implementation of the technologies on customers and their satisfaction? Will customers have negative feelings because of the lack of personal contact or will they encounter the positive impact the
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1.5 Structure of report
12 2 Theoretical framework
In this chapter the relevant literature of the topic will be discussed, from forced channel migration, resulting reactions, the affective reaction and intention to use.
Firstly, the theory of forced channel migration will be discussed. Thereafter the chapter will reflect on the reactions to forced use of a SST channel. These reactions will result in a certain affective reaction customers have with the new channel and finally an intention to use the new channel. Finally, we will account for individual differences between customers by including moderator variables. Subsequently, the low-contact industry will be discussed in this research. This chapter ends with presenting the research framework.
2.1 The technology paradox
Some researchers view technology as being paradoxical. Mick and Fournier (1998) give two examples of this paradox. Firstly, often the same technology that makes you feel smart and intelligent can cause feelings of stupidity as well (Winner, 1994). Secondly, the technological interfaces that were bought to save time in the first place, often end up wasting your time (Goodmann, 1988). This paradox of technology shows that customers can have different reactions to technologies. There can be positive reactions of customers recognizing the advantages a new technology gives them. Other customers can be anxious of the new and the unexpected. The reactions to being forced to use a SST channel can be either positive or negative. In this study these will be categorized as the two main reactions: reactance and compliance. These are different types of reactions and therefore they are dealt with separately and these will be further explained in this chapter.
The following subparagraph will discuss the concept of forced channel migration.
2.2 Forced channel migration
The literature on forced channel migration has its origin in the multichannel strategy literature. A channel is referred to as a customer contact point and medium through which the firm and customer interact (Neslin et al., 2006). With multichannel strategies companies use more than one channel to get in contact with their customers. According to the
13 Bruggen, 2005; Verhoef et al., 2007). These customers usually buy higher volumes (Neslin et. al 2006). However, the risk of a multichannel strategy are channel cannibalization (Deleersnyder et al. 2002; Pauwels and Neslin 2008); Wolk and Skiera 2009), cross channel conflicts (Falk et al., 2007) and bad return on investments (Stone, Hobbs, and Khaleeli 2002; Neslin et al. 2006). The introduction of new channels with new technologies that have advantages over the old channel can cause the need to consider eliminating the old channel. Managing multiple channels can be costly and unprofitable (Konus, 2010). Therefore
companies can choose to eliminate or discourage a certain channel in such a way that customers are being forced to use a different channel. (Konus, 2010). Replacing an ineffective and costly channel with SST is a forced channel migration strategy where customers are moved from one channel to another through coercive actions.
Neslin and Shankar (2008) argue that eliminating a channel can turn off customers because it forces them to choose a different channel than they want. Forced channel migration can cause negative customer attitudes like dissatisfaction, decreased future usage intentions and reactance.(Konus, Trampe, and Verhoef, 2009; Reinders et al., 2008).
2.3 Main reactions to forced use of SST 2.3.1 Reactance
Reactance is the frustration and emotional discomfort of customers (Konus, 2010). According to the theory of Brehm et al. (1966) physiological reactance means that if a person’s
freedom is reduced or threatened with reduction the person will become motivationally aroused. This is directed against any further loss of freedom. Customers do not like the feeling of being restricted. Most of the decision humans make are in some way restricted and it is “an internally or externally imposed boundary that limits and/or confines choices” (Botti et al, 2008). These restrictions in combination with the customer’s goals can cause cognitive, emotional and physiological reactions (Botti et al., 2008). According to the literature
14 customers negative feelings towards the use of the new technology. Although there might be many advantages of using the new technologies, negative feelings of forced use can be an impediment to the implementation of a new technology. Customers can refuse to use the new technologies and try to convince others not to use it as well.(Reinders et al., 2008). The customer’s reactance is also showed in customers avoiding the use of it. Being exposed to new technologies can result in anxiety and stress. Avoidance can be seen as one of the coping mechanisms to deal with these negative feelings (Mick and Fournier, 1998).
According to this study, avoidance strategies include ignorance (consumers are avoiding the characteristics and availability of a certain product), refusal (possible ownership of certain technology is declined) and delay (discussion about a technology product is postponed). When new SST is introduced to consumers, avoidance strategies result in ignoring
information about the potential of the new product, refusing to use SST whenever it is possible, and delay, where the customer wants to wait using SST, arguing that it might not work properly due to bugs and errors (Mick and Fournier, 1998).
In this study the hypothesis is tested that reactance has a negative effect on the overall feeling with the SST channel.
H1: Reactance is negatively related to the affective reaction
2.3.2 Compliance
A positive reaction of customers to SST implementation is compliance, and in this study it is seen as the opposite of reactance. When SST is used to replace a channel, the preferred reaction of customers will be adoption of the new technology, acknowledgement of the benefits and a positive attitudes towards the technology. These are positive outcomes of a customer decision process, and in reactance literature this is referred to as compliance (Konus, 2010). Although in the situation of forced use of SST customers do not have the opportunity to switch between channels, they can have negative attitudes towards the technology.
15 restricted in their choice, they seek a way to avoid compliance (Botti et al., 2008). The reaction to the restriction affects the compliance negatively (Botti et al., 2008). When customers show a compliant reaction one can assume that customers show an affective reaction towards the new channel. Konus (2010) sees compliance as the positive outcome of the decision process.
H2: Compliance is positively related to the affective reaction H3: Compliance is negatively related to reactance
2.4 Affective reaction
The customers’ reactions to SST will lead to a certain overall feeling of the new SST channel. This reaction can broadly be classified as the affective reaction, ranging from high positive affect (PA) or high negative affect (NA) (Watson et al.,1988). A high positive affect is when customers have a feeling of high energy, concentration and pleasurable engagement (Watson et al. 1988). A high negative affect is the opposite of high PA where customers have a feeling of distress and unpleasant engagement, which includes anger, contempt, fear and nervousness (Watson et al. 1988). Applied to SST the affective reaction determines what customers’ overall feeling and emotions are when being confronted with the use of the SST channel.
2.5 Moderator Variables
In this study it is taken into account that different customers react differently. The individual differences that are used as a moderator are derived from the study of Meuter et al. (2005) and are technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction, previous experience with SST and several demographic variables. In the upcoming subparagraphs these individual differences will be described in more detail.
2.5.1 Technology Anxiety
Technology Anxiety (TA) focuses on a users’ state of mind about technology tools (Meuter et al., 2003). With the emergence of new technologies like SST it is important to explore
16 not comfortable in using new technologies, being forced to use SST can make them feel uncomfortable and anxious (Curran et al., 2003; Mick and Fournier , 1998). TA and stress can be seen as psychological reaction to use of a specific technology (Mick and Fournier, 1998).
According to the literature TA occurs quite often. Meuter et al. (2003) states that 55% of all American citizens and one-third of the college students suffer from some sort of computer-anxiety. However, the study also finds that only a small amount suffers from severe computer-anxiety. Also, the results of this study is somewhat outdated and consumers now might be more used to technology. Nevertheless, TA is an important factor to take into account (Meuter et al., 2003).
According to the study of Meuter et al. (2003) TA is a reliable predictor of SST usage as well, better than demographics indicators such as age and gender. When the level of TA drops, SST usage increases. Low TA also caused a more positive experience using SST, and more favorable reactions towards SST like giving positive word-of-mouth to family and friends. (Meuter et al.,2003). Overall, TA is an important reaction to SST, considering the effect it has on SST usage and attitudes towards SST.
High levels of technology anxiety may lead to reactance from customers towards the use of SST (Meuter et al. 2005), also mentioned as fear of technology (Meuter et al.,2003).
H4: Technology anxiety is negatively related to compliance and positively to reactance.
2.5.2 Inertia
17 H5 : Inertia is negatively related to compliance and positively to reactance.
2.5.3 Need for interaction
Need for interaction refers to the “need that some individuals feel for interacting with the service employee in a service encounter” (Dabholkar, 1992). For some people personal contact is very important; replacing it with technology is perceived as dehumanizing the interaction with the company (Dabholkar, 1992). For these consumers the personal interaction makes the experience more enjoyable; the use of machines instead of human contact bothers them (Meuter et al., 2005). Meuter et al. (2005) states that a high need for personal interaction can lead to lower interest in learning how SST’s work and a reduced motivation to try it. Customers with high need for interaction have more negative feelings when using SST.
H6: Need for interaction is negatively related to compliance and positively to reactance.
2.5.4 Previous experience
Some customers are more experienced in the use of technology than others. Previous experience refers to customers who have used automated systems when dealing with other businesses before, are experienced in using the internet and already use many different technologically based products and services (Meuter et al., 2005). Previous use of a certain technology that is related to the SST use will result in higher self-confidence by the customer and a higher motivation of using it (Meuter et al., 2005).
When customers have used related technology in the past the feeling of self-confidence and capability of performing the tasks correctly will increase. When consumers have previous experience with SST it will have a positive impact on their opinion about the SST option (Reinders et al., 2008) and they will therefore be more likely to accept using SST (Reinders et al., 2008).
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2.5.5 Confrontation
According to the study of Mick and Fournier (1998), confrontation can be seen as the opposite of technology anxiety. When customers are anxious of a new technology, they often refrain to use this technology. However, confrontation involves active use of a specific technology; customers are willing to test the product and service and when they like the new product or service, they are willing to use it.
Confrontation is characterized by pre-testing and extended decision-making (Mick and Fournier, 1998; Geng et al. 2009). Pre-test means customers are willing to try a certain technology intensively and thereafter, to make their usage decision (Geng et al., 2009). Extended decision-making means customers search for detailed information about the technology, compare alternatives, and make a careful decision (Geng et al., 2009). Opposed to technology anxiety, customers will not reject a new SST option in advance, but gather as much information about it as possible and make a well thought-out decision on the basis of this.
H8 : Confrontation is positively related to compliance and negatively to reactance
2.6 Control variables
According to Meuter et al. (2005), demographics (age, income, gender and education) to a certain extent effect the attitudes and reactions of customers towards SST. Meuter et al. (2005) did not find a direct effect between gender and education on trial (did the respondent test the new SST?). However, it was found that age has a negative influence on trial, while income has a positive influence. This means the probability that older people will use the SST is lower, while among people with a higher income this probability is higher. Meuter et al. (2005) concludes that young higher educated males with a high income are the first
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2.7 Conceptual Framew ork
Figure 1 - Conceptual Framework
The hypotheses presented earlier in this chapter together form the conceptual framework of this study. This framework is illustrated in figure 1. As stated earlier, the aim of this research is to measure customer’s reactions when being confronted with forced use of SST and how in turn these reactions and individual differences influence the customer’s affective reaction. The framework presents two main reactions when being confronted with the elimination of a channel replaced by SST; Reactance and compliance. Together these inform the affective reaction of customers, which in turn influences the intention to use the SST channel. On the bottom side of the framework the individual differences are listed. Together with
20 3 Research Design
This chapter discusses the research design in detail. Paragraph 3.1 focuses on the data collection methodology, discussing data design (3.1.1), scaling and measurement of the variables (3.1.2) and the sample design (3.1.3). Paragraph 3.2 continues with discussing the data analysis and paragraph 3.3 will concludes with the validity and reliability of the scales.
3.1 Data collection
This study is based on conclusive research, which is, compared to exploratory research, more structured, has the aim to test hypotheses and examine relationships (Malhotra, 2007). A single cross-sectional design is used where the data is gathered once by the means of a survey.
According to Malhotra (2007) survey is a vital technique in descriptive research designs. This study aims to draw conclusions that can be extrapolated to all low-contact service
companies. Customers of companies operating in low-contact industries formed the target group for the conducted survey.
3.1.1 Data Design
The survey has been conducted among customers of a Self-Storage company in Zwolle. This type of company can be seen as a typical low-contact industry where customers’ personal contact with the company is low. The survey questionnaire was distributed via e-mail and the internet to save time and costs.
The data was collected from February till March 2012. The customers of another Self-Storage company in Zutphen were also contacted and received eight usable responses. The Storage industry association in the Netherlands was contacted to invite other Self-Storage companies to be involved in this study, however, due to privacy reasons other facilities were hesitant to participate.
21 in the questionnaire face-to-face, combined advantages of both methods. In the
questionnaire, customers were confronted with the hypothetical situation of the closure of a customer desk, and replacement of this desk by SST. In the new situation, reservations are made solely on the website. Customers can check-in and out on the facility through using an electronic Self-Storage kiosk and there is no longer the option of having personal contact with an employee at the facility. Customers were asked their opinion on this hypothetical situation, their reactions to this presented scenario and their overall opinion on the new SST channel.
The used method does not measure actual reactions of forced channel migration, as customers in the survey are not forced to switch to the SST channel. Instead, their attitude towards a hypothetical situation is researched. Several questions were asked to explain individual differences between customers.
3.1.2. Scaling and measurement of the variables
To measure reactions to elimination of a channel by SST, reactions are classified based upon the literature review of forced channel migration and SST. These two reactions are reactance and compliance. These concepts have been measured in previous literature and used scales in selected studies have proven to be reliable in measuring the concepts. Adapted scales are used to measure the concepts and suit them to the current study. Scales for customer reactions are used from Konus (2009),Meuter et al. (2005) and Geng et al. (2009). To account for differences between customers, several moderator variables have been added. These individual difference are mainly based on previous research of Meuter et al. (2005), who composed scales for technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction and previous experience.
Several questions were asked to gather additional information about the customers. These consist of two demographic questions (nominal and ratio level), income (ordinal level), education (ordinal level), length of stay (ordinal level) and type of rent, business or personal use (nominal level).
The questionnaire uses an adapted seven point Likert scale from previous studies to
22 2007). Whereas in comparative scales respondents are asked for a direct comparison
between objects, all the objects are scaled independently. Of the non-comparative scales the Likert scale is very suitable when using questionnaires over the internet as it is easy to understand for respondents (Malhotra, 2007).
Reactance
To measure the concept of reactance an adapted eleven item-scale is used of the study of Konus (2010). The scale is adapted to suit the particular situation of the self-storage market.
Compliance
Compliance is measured with a simple and adapted scale from Yang et al. (2010) with four questions measuring the level of compliance and determining the positive attitude of customers towards the new SST channel.
Affective reaction / Intention to use
These concepts indicate the affective reaction towards the new SST channel. These are measured through two 1-item scales, asking the respondent about their overall feeling of the new SST channel as well as their intention to use this channel in the future.
Moderator variables
To measure individual differences, such as technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction and previous experience, the scale from Meuter et al. (2005) is used. To measure inertia the scale has been adapted to suit the self-storage market. The concept of confrontation, which can be seen as the opposite of technology anxiety, is measured using a scale from Geng et al. (2009).
Control variables
This study uses Meuter et al. (2005)’s selected demographic variables, namely age, income, gender and education as control variables. Age is measured on a ratio scale, income and education on an ordinal scale, while gender is measured on a nominal scale (male/female) .
3.1.3 Sample Design
23 companies in low contact industries in the Netherlands. The sample selection is based on non-probability sampling; all customers of a selected Self-Storage company are selected by the researcher instead of selecting respondents from the target population by chance. The selected respondents are judged as being representative for the target group.
3.1.4 Sample size
To determine the sample size, there are several factors which should be taken into
consideration. Examples of qualitative factors are the importance of the decision, the nature of the research, the number of variables, nature of the analysis, sample size used in similar studies and resource constraints (Malhotra, 2007). This study, which is a conclusive
research, requires a higher sample size compared to studies based on exploratory research. A higher sample size is also needed as the study uses multivariate techniques and multiple regression. The questionnaire of this study consists of a total of 53 variables, from which 24 are moderator variables.
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3.2 Data Analysis
For this model multiple regression analysis was performed. This is a dependence multivariate technique where more variables can be identified as dependent variable, while remaining ones can be classified as independent (Malhotra, 2007). Multiple regression is suitable for this research because it is used to analyze associative relationships between a dependent variable and independent variables (Malhotra, 2007). In this study, the dependent variable being the “affective reaction”, while the independent variables are the reactions to SST and the moderator variables.
To analyze the constructs, new variables were computed resulting from combining the questionnaire questions of the scales. These new variables are reactance, compliance, technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction, previous experience and confrontation. The construct variables are computed as follows:
𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 =∑∞𝑛=1(𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑛1− 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑛)
𝑛 = Number of items on the scale
A common problem in performing multiple regression analysis is multicollinearity, which occurs when independent variables are related (Malhotra, 2007). This study also had some troubling multicollinearity issues (see Appendix 2).Tolerance and VIF are both measures of presence of multicollinearity where a tolerance score of <0.1 and a VIF higher than 10 are perceived as problematic. Both scores can be computed as follows, but are computed automatically for this research using SPSS.
𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 1 − 𝑅𝑗2, 𝑉𝐼𝐹 =𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒1
In this analysis reactance has a tolerance score of 0,253 and a VIF of 3,947. This is lower compared to the boundaries of what is perceived as problematic, but it appears that there are some multicollinearity issues here.
Mean centered variables
25 mean from all the scores. From the first analysis, variables that were highly insignificant were removed. These were the variables “inertia” value 0.978), previous experience (p-value 0.962) and the demographic variables. These demographic variables were highly insignificant and where not among the relationships the analysis is aimed at.
Interaction variables
To improve the prediction power of the model, interaction variables were included. Without the interaction variables the following is measured:
𝑌 = 𝑐 + 𝑋1+ 𝑋2+ 𝑋3+ 𝑋4+ 𝑋5
The effect on the variables separately was measured; however the effect resulting from interaction effects between the variables was not taken into account. The following interaction variables were added to the equation:
IT1 Reactance - Compliance
IT2 Reactance - Technology anxiety IT3 Reactance - Need for interaction IT4 Reactance - Confrontation IT5 Compliance - Technology anxiety IT6 Compliance - Need for interaction IT7 Compliance - Confrontation
IT8 Technology anxiety - Need for interaction
IT9 Technology anxiety - Confrontation
IT10 Need for interaction – Confrontation
When adding the interaction variables this is the equation:
26
3.3 Validity and reliability
When evaluating the scale, it is important to determine the reliability and validity (Malhotra, 2007).
Reliability
To test the internal consistency reliability the Cronbach’s alpha was used, where a Cronbach’s alpha exceeding the value of 0.6 means satisfactory internal consistency (Malhotra, 2007). The results presented in table 1 show that all the scales have a score higher than p = 0.6, meaning all the scales used have satisfactory internal consistency reliability. From the scale of “Previous experience” one question was reversed in order to make this question suitable for analysis.
Validity
27
Table 1 - Operationalization of constructs
Concepts Supporting
literature Items Scale
Reactance Konus (2009)
1. The strength of negative feelings 2. The extent of feeling to be
threatened in freedom of choice 3. The level of rebellious feeling 4. The strength of the feeling being
forced
5. The extent of the feeling be free to choice
6. The extent of feeling to be free to choose between multiple channels 7. The level of annoyance
8. The extent of feeling to be forced into a specific behavior
9. The extent of feeling to have sufficient freedom of choice 10. The level of anger
11. The level of irritation
0.919 7-point Likert
Compliance Konus (2010), Botti et al. (2008)
1. Fun in using new SST channel 2. Interestingness of new SST
channel
3. Positiveness about using SST channel 0.936 7-point Likert Technology Anxiety Meuter et al. (2005)
1. Apprehensiveness about using technology
2. Confusing of technical terms 3. Avoiding technology due to
unfamiliarity
4. Hesitation of using technology
0.932 7-point Likert
Inertia Meuter et al. (2005)
1. A bother to change between SST channels
2. Cost in time effort and grief in switching to different SST channel 3. Hassle of switching to different
SST channel 0.924 7-point Likert Need for interaction Meuter et al. (2005)
1. Enjoyment of personal contact with employee
2. Importance of personal attention 3. Bother of using technology instead
of employee 0.840 7-point Likert Previous experience Meuter et al. (2005); Reinders et al. (2008) ;Dabholkar (1992); Gatignon
1. Common use of automated systems when dealing with other businesses
2. Experience in using the internet 3. Use of technology based products
28
and Robertson (1991)
and services
Confrontation Geng et al. (2009)
1. Tendency to search diligently for detailed information about new service
2. Tendency to take stock of needs and ask friends or experts for suggestions
3. Tendency to purchase new services in a careful, calculating manner 4. Not buying a service until familiar
with it
5. Comparing alternatives and buying most suitable one .
6. Level of easiness when trial is offered.
7. Checking functions of new services in duration of the return period. 8. Always asking for a trial for new
products.
9. Deciding on buying new services easier if it can be returned to the store during a certain period 10. Prefer to see demonstrated the
functions of a new service.
0.798 7-point Likert
Affective reaction
The level of the affective reaction with
new SST channel 7-point Likert
Intention to
use Intention to use new SST channel; 7-point Likert
Age What is your age? Absolute
number
Income What is your monthly income? 5 categories
Gender Male / Female 2 categories
Education What is your highest degree of education? 8 categories
Length of stay Months of stay (4 categories) 4 categories
Type of rent Business of personal use 2 categories
29 4. Results
In this chapter the results of the study are presented. The chapter starts with outlining the descriptive statistics in subparagraph 4.1. The results of the analysis are divided in two parts: the bivariate analysis is presented in subparagraph 4.2, and the results for the
multivariate analysis are outlined in subparagraph 4.3. This chapter ends with the discussion of the results in subparagraph 4.5 and a presentation of all hypotheses in 4.5.
4.1 Descriptive statistics
The questionnaire was sent to 314 customers of a Self-Storage company in Zwolle. A total number of 116 respondents answered the questionnaire, of which 88 responses were usable for analysis. Some respondents forgot to fill in some parts of the questionnaire, and
therefore have been left out the survey sample. From the usable responses, 88 were received from customers of a Self-Storage company in Zwolle, resulting in an response rate of 28,03%. The other 8 responses were received from customers from a Self-Storage company in Zutphen. The questionnaire was sent to 91 customers of that company, a response rate of 8,79 %.
Table 2 - Characteristics of respondents Number of
respondents Average age
Average income gender Average duration of rent Business/pers onal use 96 46.9 Between modal wage and twice modal wage 68,4 % male 31,6 % female Between 1-3 months and 4-6 months 5,3 % businesses 94,7 % personal use
The average respondent is 47 years. 70% of the respondents are male and mostly use the storage space for personal use. The average income of the respondent is between modal wage and twice the modal wage.
To analyze the responses, questions were combined in the following constructs: Reactance, compliance, technology anxiety, inertia, need for interaction, previous experience and
T-30 test was used to analyze whether the mean scores of the variables are significantly different from the middle score of four. Except for the construct of compliance, which has =0,580, all the variables have a mean which is significantly different from four. Appendix six lists the results from the one-sample t-test.
Most average scores of the construct are around the middle score of four in the seven-point Likert scale. Noticeable scores can be found within technology anxiety, need for interaction and previous experience. The respondents average score on technology anxiety is 2,10 which is low on the seven-point Likert scale. This indicates that most respondents are not anxious of using technology and do not try to avoid using technology. The same conclusion can be drawn on the basis of the construct of previous experience. The respondents score an average of 5,04 on the previous experience scale, which means that in the past they have used technology at other companies and they are experienced in using the internet. These scores make sense in a country like the Netherlands, which has a high penetration of the internet. Although the respondents might be used to technology, it appears that personal contact is still important. The average score for the need for interaction construct is 5,48. Respondents prefer the face-to-face interaction with an employee over using technology.
Table 3 - Means and standard deviation of constructs Mean Std Deviation Minimum Maximum
Reactance 3,7014 1,42285 1 7 0,042*
Compliance 3,9167 1,47151 1 7 0,580
Technology Anxiety 2,0964 1,32852 0 6,25 0,000*
Inertia 3,3785 1,64911 0 7 0,000*
Need for Interaction 5,4757 1,33924 1,67 7 0,000* Previous experience with SST 5,0417 1,31233 1,67 7 0,000*
Confrontation 4,4219 ,81463 1,70 6 0,000*
* constructs have a mean significantly different from the middle score of 4, with a of 0,05
31
Table 4 - Means and standard deviation of affective reaction and intention to use Mean Std Deviation Minimum Maximum
Affection 4 1,494 1 7 1,000
Intention to use new SST channel 4,61 1,558 1 7 0,000*
* intention to use have a mean significantly different from the middle score of 4, with a of 0,05
4.2 Bivariate analysis
The first part of the analysis starts with bivariate analyses of the single relationships as drawn in the literature review. Reactance was found to have a negative relationship with compliance (β -0,613 / p-value 0.000) and the affective reaction towards the new SST channel (β -0,651 / p-value 0.000). For compliance there were found negative relationships with previous experience, affection, inertia, need for interaction and confrontation. The affective reaction proved to have a positive relationship with the intention to use the new SST channel.
These results broadly support the formulated hypotheses based on the literature review. Few exceptions were the relationship between technology anxiety and compliance and the
relationship between confrontation and compliance, which were both not significant.
Demographic relationships
32
Figure 2 – Conceptual framework with tested hypotheses
4.3 Multivariate analysis
In the bivariate analysis, the relationships among the variables have been analyzed.
However, the most interesting information is an overall view. In the model there are several reactions and individual differences which influence customers’ behavior when being
confronted with forced use of self-service technology. When performing the multiple regression with the dependent variable and using all the constructs and demographic variables as independent variables, a correlation is found of 0.842 and an adjusted R2 of 0.664. This means that the model predicts 66,4% of the variance in the dependent variable. The model is significant with F-value of 16,177 and a p-value of 0.000. The variable
33 Table 5 - Multiple regression
Independent variables
Dependent variable: Affective reaction b Standardized Beta sig Reactance -0,185 -0,174 0,151 Compliance 0,508 0,497 0,000 Technology Anxiety 0,164 0,149 0,068 Inertia 0,002 0,003 0,978
Need for Interaction -0,323 -0,295 0,001
Previous Experience 0,004 0,004 0,962 Confrontation 0,346 0,192 0,007 Age 0,002 0,019 0,815 Income -0,014 -0,012 0,862 Gender -0,349 -0,112 0,147 Education 0,100 0,100 0,888 Model Summary F-value: 16,177 (Sig: 0,000) Correlation: 0,842 Adjusted R2: 0,664
Mean-centering the variables and removing the variables which proved to be insignificant, improves the regression model. Firstly a multivariate analysis was performed on the main effects reactance and compliance on the affective reaction.
Table 6 - Multiple regression with mean centered main effects
Independent variables
34 The analysis is significant (p-value 0,000) with an F-value of 83,098 and an adjusted R2 of 0,633. The next step was to include the mean-centered moderator variables which proved to be significant from table 5. The variables that were included are technology anxiety, need for interaction and confrontation. Because all demographic variables are proved to be
insignificant, these were excluded.
Table 7 - Multiple regression with mean centered variables
Independent variables
Dependent variable: Affective reaction B Standardized Beta sig Reactance -0,248 -0,236 0,005 Compliance 0,518 0,510 0,000 Technology Anxiety 0,134 0,119 0,046
Need for Interaction -0,335 -0,300 0,000
Confrontation 0,345 0,188 0,003
Model Summary
F-value: 44,941 (Sig: 0,000) Correlation: 0,845
Adjusted R2: 0,698
The model has an F-value of 44,941 (p-value 0,000) and an adjusted R2 of 0,698, which is higher than the previous analysis where only the main effects were added. It results in increased values of tolerance and decreased values of VIF, which indicates mean-centering has effect in solving the problem of multicollinearity.
35 dependent variable are reactance (β -0,249, p-value 0,008), compliance (β 0,528, p-value 0,000), need for interaction (β -0,249, p-value 0,003) and two interaction variables. The two significant interaction variables are IT3 (the interaction effect between reactance and need for interaction and IT6 (the interaction effect between compliance and need for interaction). Technology anxiety and confrontation were found insignificant.
The strongest correlation with the dependent variable has compliance with β = 0.528,
followed by need for interaction (β=-0.249) and reactance (β=-0.246). The affective reaction can be explained by the variables measured in the model, whereas compliance has a positive correlation where an increase on the compliance scale with 1 point leads to an increase of affection with 0.536 point. Reactance and need for interaction are negatively related to the affective reaction, which correspondences with existing literature. This is now supported by the results from this study as well. The multiple regression delivers the results from the following table.
Table 8 - Centered variables with included interaction variables
Main effects Interactions
b
Standardized
Beta sig b Beta sig
Reactance -0,258 -0,246 0,008*
Compliance 0,536 0,528 0,000*
Technology Anxiety 0,116 0,103 0,156 Need for Interaction -0,277 -0,249 0,003*
Confrontation 0,255 0,123 0,054 IT1 0,001 0,002 0,987 IT2 0,049 0,065 0,519 IT3 0,198 0,285 0,020* IT4 0,048 0,041 0,675 IT5 0,028 0,037 0,704 IT6 0,196 0,318 0,003* IT7 -0,072 -0,064 0,548 IT8 0,056 0,058 0,568 IT9 -0,165 -0,113 0,089 IT10 -0,70 -0,058 0,420 Model summary F-value: 18,838 (Sig: 0,000) Correlation: 0,883 Adjusted R2: 0,738
36
4.4 Discussion of the result
In this chapter the results of the analyses are discussed further. The paragraph starts with analyzing the results from the bivariate analyses. This is followed by a discussion of the result from the multivariate analyses.
Reactions to forced channel migration
The conceptual framework includes two main reactions when being confronted with the elimination of a channel and being forced to use a new SST channel: reactance and
compliance. Reactance is based on the forced migration theory and compliance can be seen as a positive attitude towards self-service technology. In this study these reactions are combined in the model as a positive and negative attitude. When looking at these reactions in relation to the affective reaction, there can be found that reactance is negatively and compliance is positively correlated to the affective reaction. This corresponds with existing literature. This means that when customers have a higher level of reactance in response to the elimination of a channel, the affective reaction will be less positive. However, in situation where customers demonstrate a compliant reaction in response to the elimination of a channel, the affective reaction will be more positive. These relationships would be expected and are supported by this study. Therefore, the formulated hypotheses can be accepted. From this study it cannot be said whether there are other reactions which are important as well, but that was also not the aim of the study. The affective reaction has a positive relationship with the intention to use the new SST channel.
Moderator variables of reaction to forced channel migration
37 the opposite of technology anxiety, there has been found no significant relationship with one of the three reactions. Therefore, the hypotheses considering confrontation is rejected.
Multivariate regression
The affective reaction can be explained from several variables. The most variance in the affective reaction is explained by compliance, followed by need for interaction and reactance. Compliance has a positive effect on the affective reaction; need for interaction and reactance both have a negative relationship. The model has found two interaction effects, IT3 and IT6, which are the interaction variables Reactance <-> Need for interaction and Compliance <-> Need for Interaction, which have a significant relationship as well. The regression model as a whole accounts for around 74% of the variance in customers’ affective reaction. When considering the implementation of technology in a low contact industry it is interesting to know what to measure to determine customers’ opinion on SST implementation option and the results of this study can help with that.
38
4.5 Hypothesis overview
Table 9 - Overview hypotheses
Hypotheses Standardized
B R
2 supported
H1 Reactance is negatively related to the affective reaction -0,651 (0,000) 0,424 Yes H2 Compliance is positively related to the affective reaction 0,767 (0,000) 0,589 Yes H3 Compliance is negatively related to reactance -0,613 (0,000) 0,375 Yes H4a Technology anxiety is negatively related to compliance . -0,186 (0,070) 0,034 Yes
H4b Technology anxiety is positively related to reactance 0,267 (0,008) 0,071 Yes
H5a Inertia is negatively related to compliance . -0,570 (0,000) 0,325 Yes
H5b Inertia is positively related to reactance. 0,670 (0,000) 0,449 Yes
H6a Need for interaction is negatively related to compliance . -0,472 (0,000) 0,223 Yes
H6b Need for interaction is positively related to reactance. 0,596 (0,000) 0,356 Yes
H7a Previous experience is positively related to compliance 0,268 (0,008) 0,072 Yes
H7b Previous experience is negatively related to reactance -0,298 (0,003) 0,089 Yes
H8a Confrontation is positively related to compliance . -0,037 (0,720) 0,001 No
39 5. Conclusions, limitations and recommendation
The aim of this study was to compose a framework of customer’s reactions to forced use of a technology-enabled channel and based on the framework, to give a view of the affective reaction and intention to use the new SST channel. For this research a problem statement was created with several underlying hypotheses. Based on a literature review the customers’ reaction were classified in two main categories: reactance and compliance.
“How can the affective reaction towards the use of Self-Service Technology be explained, considering the customer reactions in a low contact industry, such as the self-storage
market?”
This chapter presents the main conclusions of this study (5.1). Thereafter, limitations of this research and further recommendations will be discussed (5.2).
5.1 Conclusions
Reactions to forced channel migration
Two main reactions can be summarized when being confronted with forced use of a self-service technology channel: reactance and compliance. Reactance has a negative influence on the affective reaction. Compliance on the other hand, has a positive influence on the affective reaction. Affection has a positive relationship to the intention to use the SST channel.
Impact of moderator variables
40 considered an important variable as well. The use of SST is often a replacement for
manpower, which reduces the personal contact customers have with the company. When customers have a higher need for interaction this increases the chance of avoiding the use of SST and decreases the chance of a compliant reaction. For Dutch consumers, who are quite experienced in the use of technology, their previous experience influences the reaction on the use of SST as well. The more experienced the customers are in the use of technology, the lower the level of reactance and the higher level of compliance will be. Demographics proved of little importance on the customers’ reactions.
Determinants of affective reaction
In order to obtain information on which reactions and individual differences are most important in predicting the customers’ affective reaction, all the independent variables were used in the multiple regression and compared with each other. There were found three significant main effects and two significant interaction effects in predicting the affective reaction. The three main effects are reactance, compliance and need for interaction. Compliance has the largest effect, followed by need for interaction and reactance.
Compliance and reactance can be seen as the two possible reactions confronted with forced use of SST, a positive and negative reaction. Need for interaction hereby is the important factor to consider when implementing SST. When the need for interaction is high, the level of the affective reaction towards the SST channel is likely to be lower. Although consumers are more acquainted with the use of technology in low contact industries, the need for interaction is still an important factor to consider. Companies can consider offering a fallback option, where an employee can be called immediately when the SST malfunctions or when other problems occur. This can partly solve the problem for customers with a higher need for interaction.
Low contact industry
41 used to the use of technology in these industries already. On the other hand, this research shows that personal contact is still very important to customers.
5.2 Limitations and recommendations
This study has several limitations to consider. The first limitation is the sample size. The total number of respondent on which the study is based is 96. This is a relatively low number considering the amount of variables included in the analysis. This Is due to resource constraints and a low willingness of participation among Self-Storage companies. Further research can be done using a larger sample size and by taking a different type of company, to see if similar results are obtained.
Another limitation of the study is that it cannot be considered exhaustive. The framework is built upon information gathered from literature, but it is plausible that other variables can be involved which are not captured in the study. Although the variance in the affective reaction was around 75%, there can be different factors which are not measured in this study. Lastly, the study only measures a hypothetical situation of forced use of SST. The
respondents were not actually forced to switch between channels, but were asked how they would feel and react when this would happen. One can argue that reactions would differ from when customers are actually forced to switch between channels. Further similar
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45 Appendix
-Appendix
1-Questionnaire questions
Huidige situatieOm een opslagruimte te reserveren bij Loods 038 zijn er momenteel 2 mogelijkheden: een reservering plaatsen via de website of zelf de vestiging bezoeken. In beide situaties vindt het tekenen van het contract en het overhandigen van pas en sleutel plaats op de vestiging. Bij de balie is op kantoortijden een medewerker aanwezig die beschikbaar is indien u eventueel vragen hebt.
Scenario
Loods 038 overweegt om de balie op de vestiging te sluiten en te vervangen met een compleet elektronisch systeem. Hierdoor zal Loods 038 een onbemande vestiging worden. Toekomstige reservering en ingebruikname kan online via de website worden geregeld. U reserveert een opslagruimte via de website, vult u uw persoonlijk en facturering gegevens in, stuur een ondertekend contract retour en voldoet de eerste betaling via internet bankieren. Vervolgens krijgt u door ons een elektronische code toegewezen waarmee u toegang hebt tot het pand waar uw persoonlijke sleutel voor de box binnen veilig uit een kluis kunt halen. Voor vragen en/of advies kunt u de website raadplegen of een telefoonnummer bellen. Er zal geen medewerker meer fysiek aanwezig zijn op de locatie. Opzegging en oplevering van de opslagruimte zal tevens elektronisch geregeld zijn.
Reactance (Adapted from: Konus, 2009)
1. Removing the customer desk gives me a negative feeling.
2. I feel that my freedom to choose a channel for reserving a storage unit is threatened. 3. Removing the customer desk makes me feel rebellious.
4. I feel like acting against the wishes of Loods 038.
5. I feel that I am forced to use the internet for using Self-Storage at Loods 038. 6. I believe I can choose between multiple channels for reserving a storage unit. 7. Removing the customer desk makes me feel annoyed.
46 9. I feel that that I have sufficient freedom in choosing a channel for reserving a
storage unit
10. Removing the storage desk makes me feel angry. 11. Removing the storage desk makes me feel irritated.
Compliance
1. I’ll like to use the new SST channel. 2. Using that SST channel will be good.
3. Using the new SST channel will be interesting. 4. I’ll be positive about using the new SST channel.
Individual differences
Technology Anxiety (Meuter 2005)
1. I feel apprehensive about using technology.
2. Technical terms sound like confusing jargon to me. 3. I have avoided technology because it is unfamiliar to me.
4. I hesitate to use most forms of technology for fear of making mistakes I cannot correct.
Inertia (Meuter 2005)
1. Changing to different SST channel would be a bother.
2. For me, the cost in time, effort, and grief to switch between SST channels is high.
3. It’s just not worth the hassle for me to switch between SST channels.
Need for interaction (Meuter, 2005)
1. Personal contact with an employee makes the reservation of a self-storage unit enjoyable for me.
47 Previous experience (Meuter 2005)
1. I commonly use lots of automated systems when dealing with other businesses.
2. I do not have much experience using the Internet.
3. I use a lot of technologically based products and services.
Confrontation (Adapted from: Geng, Wenjing and Tsang-Sing, 2009) 1. I tend to search diligently for detailed information about a new service
2. I tend to take stock of my needs and ask my friends or experts for suggestions so that I decide on the right one for me
3. I tend to purchase a new service in a careful, calculating manner 4. I will not buy a new service until I am familiar with it
5. In face of new services, I always compare all the alternatives and buy themost suitable one
6. It is much easier for me to make an adoption decision when a trial is offered 7. I check all the functions of a new services in the duration of the returnperiod 8. I ask for a trial of a new product all the time
9. It is easier to decide on buying a new service if it can be returned to thestore during a certain period
10. In the exhibition of a new service, I would like to see somebody demonstrate its functions
Affective reaction
Describe your overall feeling with the new SST channel (1-7, 1 very negative , 7 very positive)
My overall feeling with the new SST channel is……….
