Improving Customer Experience Using Smart Technologies in Smart Stores
Main Article Content
Keywords
smart store, customer experience, smart technologies, safe technologies, ethics, customer-friendly technology
Abstract
This study investigates how ethical aspects, safe technology, and customer-friendly technologies influence the customer experience in smart stores. Smart stores are unmanned retail stores that integrate smart technologies and services. An empirical model was proposed and validated using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis, with n = 402 participants. The results demonstrate that all three constructs have a positive influence on the customer experience in smart stores. However, the results also suggest that store-based interactions (e. g. seamless access and a safe environment) have a stronger influence than product-based interactions. The results highlight the need for retailers to prioritise smart technologies that visibly enhance safety, usability, and ethical transparency. These insights support the development of smart stores that foster customer trust, improve interaction quality, and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
References
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Alexander, B., & Kent, A. (2022). Change in technology-enabled omnichannel customer experiences in-store. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 65, 102338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102338.
Ameen, N., Tarhini, A., Shah, M., & Madichie, N. (2020). Going with the flow: Smart shopping malls and omnichannel retailing. Journal of Services Marketing, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0066.
Backhaus, K., Erichson, B., Gensler, S., Weiber, R., & Weiber, T. (2023). Clusteranalyse. In K. Backhaus, B. Erichson, S. Gensler, R. Weiber, & T. Weiber (Eds.), Multivariate Analysemethoden: Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung (pp. 485–571). Springer Fachmedien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-40465-9_8.
Benoit, S., Altrichter, B., Grewal, D., & Ahlbom, C.-P. (2024). Autonomous stores: How levels of in-store automation affect store patronage. Journal of Retailing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.12.003.
Budiharseno, R. S., & Kim, M.-J. (2023). Perceived Privacy Risks and Trust Dynamics: Rethinking Mobile Payment Adoption in Indonesia. Global Business & Finance Review, 28(6), 112–129. https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2023.28.6.112.
Chang, Y.-W., & Chen, J. (2021). What motivates customers to shop in smart shops? The impacts of smart technology and technology readiness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102325.
Chang, Y.-W., Ping-Yu, H., Chen, J., Shiau, W.-L., & Xu, N. (2023). Utilitarian and/or hedonic shopping – consumer motivation to purchase in smart stores. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 123(3), 821–842. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2022-0250.
Chen, J., & Chang, Y.-W. (2023). How smart technology empowers consumers in smart retail stores? The perspective of technology readiness and situational factors. Electronic Markets, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-023-00635-6.
Fan, X., Ning, N., & Deng, N. (2020). The impact of the quality of intelligent experience on smart retail engagement. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(7), 877–891. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2019-0439.
Gliem, J. A., & Gliem, R. R. (2003). Calculating, Interpreting, And Reporting Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient For Likert-Type Scales. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/344.
Gregorczuk, H. (2022). Retail Analytics: Smart-Stores Saving Bricks- and-Mortar Retail or a Privacy Problem? LAW TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANS, 4(1), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.5204/lthj.2088.
Grewal, D., Benoit, S., Noble, S. M., Guha, A., Ahlbom, C.-P., & Nordfält, J. (2023). Leveraging In-Store Technology and AI: Increasing Customer and Employee Efficiency and Enhancing their Experiences. Journal of Retailing, 99(4), 487–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.10.002.
Hair Jr, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. In Multivariate data analysis (pp. 785–785). https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/biblio-1074274.
Huber, F., Herrmann, A., Meyer, F., Vogel, J., & Vollhardt, K. (2007). Kausalmodellierung mit Partial Least Squares: Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung. Gabler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-9328-1.
Ibiricu, B., & Made, M. (2020). Ethics by design: A code of ethics for the digital age. Records Management Journal, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-08-2019-0044.
Jordan, S., Kracklauer, A. H., & Germelmann, C. C. (2025). Advancements and Challenges in AI Applications for B2C Retail Promotions: Unveiling a Socio-Technical Framework for Computer Vision Technologies and Generative Adversarial Networks. In M. A. Bach Tobji, R. Jallouli, H. Sadok, K. Lajfari, D. Mafamane, & H. Mahboub (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (Vol. 530, pp. 3–21). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76365-6_1.
Jordan, S., Netscher, M., Leinweber, J., Kaplan, C., & Kracklauer, A. (2023). Seamless Payment Through Artificial Intelligence in Food Retail: Factors Influencing Purchase Intent. In R. Jallouli, M. A. Bach Tobji, M. Belkhir, A. M. Soares, & B. Casais (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (pp. 152–167). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42788-6_10.
Kim, S., Jang, S., Choi, W., Youn, C., & Lee, Y. (2022). Contactless service encounters among Millennials and Generation Z: the effects of Millennials and Gen Z characteristics on technology self-efficacy and preference for contactless service: An International Journal. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 16(1), 82–100. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-01-2021-0020.
Kishen, R., Upadhyay, S., Jaimon, F., Suresh, S., Kozlova, N., Bozhuk, S., Mottaeva, A. B., Barykin, S. Y., & Matchinov, V. A. (2021). Prospects for artificial intelligence implementation to design personalized customer engagement strategies. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, Suppl. Special Issue 6, 24, 1–18.
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420.
Netscher, M., Jordan, S., & Kracklauer, A. H. (2025). Exploring Customer Acceptance of Smart Stores: An Advanced Model Approach. In M. A. Bach Tobji, R. Jallouli, H. Sadok, K. Lajfari, D. Mafamane, & H. Mahboub (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (Vol. 530, pp. 311–338). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76365-6_19.
Park, H. J., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Technology readiness and technology paradox of unmanned convenience store users. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102523.
Pillai, R., Sivathanu, B., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). Shopping intention at AI-powered automated retail stores (AIPARS). Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 57, 102207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102207.
Qu, B., Wei, L., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Factors affecting consumer acceptance of electronic cash in China: An empirical study. Financial Innovation, 8(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-021-00312-7.
Riegger, A.-S., Klein, J. F., Merfeld, K., & Henkel, S. (2021). Technology-enabled personalization in retail stores: Understanding drivers and barriers. Journal of Business Research, 123, 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.039.
Roy, S. K., Balaji, M. S., Quazi, A., & Quaddus, M. (2018). Predictors of customer acceptance of and resistance to smart technologies in the retail sector. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services , 42, 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.02.005.
Schumacher, J., & Rüschen, P. D. S. (2023). Smart Stores 24/7—Wo stehen wir nach 2 Jahren (2021-2023)? Kompetenznetzwerk Handel. https://handel-dhbw.de/schriftenreihe/whitepaper/elementor-10137/.
Shankar, V., Kalyanam, K., Setia, P., Golmohammadi, A., Tirunillai, S., Douglass, T., Hennessey, J., Bull, J. S., & Waddoups, R. (2021). How Technology is Changing Retail. Journal of Retailing, 97(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2020.10.006.
Siau, K., & Wang, W. (2020). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics: Ethics of AI and Ethical AI. Journal of Database Management (JDM), 31(2), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.4018/JDM.2020040105.
Szabó-Szentgróti, E., Konczos-Szombathelyi, M., Rámháp, S., & Kézai, P. K. (2023). How Consumers Accept Unmanned Smart Stores? – Introducing a Proposed Technology Acceptance Model. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 107, 373–378. https://doi.org/10.3303/CET23107063.
Tiutiu, M., & Dabija, D.-C. (2023). Improving Customer Experience Using Artificial Intelligence in Online Retail. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 17, 1139–1147. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2023-0102.
Tiutiu, M., Nemțeanu, S., Dabija, D.-C., & Pelau, C. (2025). The impact of online customer service and store features on consumer experience and willingness to revisit their preferred online store. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04383-0.
Vadruccio, R., Seghezzi, A., & Tumino, A. (2024). Smart technologies for retailing: Who, what, where and why. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 52(13), 79–102. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-06-2023-0408.
Velleman, P. F., & Welsch, R. E. (1981). Efficient Computing of Regression Diagnostics. The American Statistician, 35(4), 234–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.1981.10479362.
Williams, B., Onsman, A., & Brown, T. (2010). Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Five-Step Guide for Novices. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, 8, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.8.3.93.
Zhu, Y., Wang, P., & Xi, S. (2018). Mean-Variance Analysis of Retailers Deploying RFID-Enabled Smart Shelves. https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/9/2/40.
Agbese, M., Alanen, H.-K., Antikainen, J., Erika, H., Isomaki, H., Jantunen, M., Kemell, K.-K., Rousi, R., Vainio-Pekka, H., & Vakkuri, V. (2023). Governance in Ethical and Trustworthy AI Systems: Extension of the ECCOLA Method for AI Ethics Governance Using GARP. E-Informatica Software Engineering Journal, 17. https://www.e-informatyka.pl/index.php/einformatica/volumes/volume-2023/issue-1/article-1/.
Alexander, B., & Kent, A. (2022). Change in technology-enabled omnichannel customer experiences in-store. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 65, 102338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102338.
Ameen, N., Tarhini, A., Shah, M., & Madichie, N. (2020). Going with the flow: Smart shopping malls and omnichannel retailing. Journal of Services Marketing, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0066.
Backhaus, K., Erichson, B., Gensler, S., Weiber, R., & Weiber, T. (2023). Clusteranalyse. In K. Backhaus, B. Erichson, S. Gensler, R. Weiber, & T. Weiber (Eds.), Multivariate Analysemethoden: Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung (pp. 485–571). Springer Fachmedien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-40465-9_8.
Benoit, S., Altrichter, B., Grewal, D., & Ahlbom, C.-P. (2024). Autonomous stores: How levels of in-store automation affect store patronage. Journal of Retailing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.12.003.
Budiharseno, R. S., & Kim, M.-J. (2023). Perceived Privacy Risks and Trust Dynamics: Rethinking Mobile Payment Adoption in Indonesia. Global Business & Finance Review, 28(6), 112–129. https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2023.28.6.112.
Chang, Y.-W., & Chen, J. (2021). What motivates customers to shop in smart shops? The impacts of smart technology and technology readiness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102325.
Chang, Y.-W., Ping-Yu, H., Chen, J., Shiau, W.-L., & Xu, N. (2023). Utilitarian and/or hedonic shopping – consumer motivation to purchase in smart stores. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 123(3), 821–842. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2022-0250.
Chen, J., & Chang, Y.-W. (2023). How smart technology empowers consumers in smart retail stores? The perspective of technology readiness and situational factors. Electronic Markets, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-023-00635-6.
Fan, X., Ning, N., & Deng, N. (2020). The impact of the quality of intelligent experience on smart retail engagement. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(7), 877–891. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2019-0439.
Gliem, J. A., & Gliem, R. R. (2003). Calculating, Interpreting, And Reporting Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient For Likert-Type Scales. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/344.
Gregorczuk, H. (2022). Retail Analytics: Smart-Stores Saving Bricks- and-Mortar Retail or a Privacy Problem? LAW TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANS, 4(1), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.5204/lthj.2088.
Grewal, D., Benoit, S., Noble, S. M., Guha, A., Ahlbom, C.-P., & Nordfält, J. (2023). Leveraging In-Store Technology and AI: Increasing Customer and Employee Efficiency and Enhancing their Experiences. Journal of Retailing, 99(4), 487–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.10.002.
Hair Jr, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. In Multivariate data analysis (pp. 785–785). https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/biblio-1074274.
Huber, F., Herrmann, A., Meyer, F., Vogel, J., & Vollhardt, K. (2007). Kausalmodellierung mit Partial Least Squares: Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung. Gabler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-9328-1.
Ibiricu, B., & Made, M. (2020). Ethics by design: A code of ethics for the digital age. Records Management Journal, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-08-2019-0044.
Jordan, S., Kracklauer, A. H., & Germelmann, C. C. (2025). Advancements and Challenges in AI Applications for B2C Retail Promotions: Unveiling a Socio-Technical Framework for Computer Vision Technologies and Generative Adversarial Networks. In M. A. Bach Tobji, R. Jallouli, H. Sadok, K. Lajfari, D. Mafamane, & H. Mahboub (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (Vol. 530, pp. 3–21). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76365-6_1.
Jordan, S., Netscher, M., Leinweber, J., Kaplan, C., & Kracklauer, A. (2023). Seamless Payment Through Artificial Intelligence in Food Retail: Factors Influencing Purchase Intent. In R. Jallouli, M. A. Bach Tobji, M. Belkhir, A. M. Soares, & B. Casais (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (pp. 152–167). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42788-6_10.
Kim, S., Jang, S., Choi, W., Youn, C., & Lee, Y. (2022). Contactless service encounters among Millennials and Generation Z: the effects of Millennials and Gen Z characteristics on technology self-efficacy and preference for contactless service: An International Journal. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 16(1), 82–100. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-01-2021-0020.
Kishen, R., Upadhyay, S., Jaimon, F., Suresh, S., Kozlova, N., Bozhuk, S., Mottaeva, A. B., Barykin, S. Y., & Matchinov, V. A. (2021). Prospects for artificial intelligence implementation to design personalized customer engagement strategies. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, Suppl. Special Issue 6, 24, 1–18.
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420.
Netscher, M., Jordan, S., & Kracklauer, A. H. (2025). Exploring Customer Acceptance of Smart Stores: An Advanced Model Approach. In M. A. Bach Tobji, R. Jallouli, H. Sadok, K. Lajfari, D. Mafamane, & H. Mahboub (Eds.), Digital Economy. Emerging Technologies and Business Innovation (Vol. 530, pp. 311–338). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76365-6_19.
Park, H. J., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Technology readiness and technology paradox of unmanned convenience store users. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102523.
Pillai, R., Sivathanu, B., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). Shopping intention at AI-powered automated retail stores (AIPARS). Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 57, 102207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102207.
Qu, B., Wei, L., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Factors affecting consumer acceptance of electronic cash in China: An empirical study. Financial Innovation, 8(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-021-00312-7.
Riegger, A.-S., Klein, J. F., Merfeld, K., & Henkel, S. (2021). Technology-enabled personalization in retail stores: Understanding drivers and barriers. Journal of Business Research, 123, 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.039.
Roy, S. K., Balaji, M. S., Quazi, A., & Quaddus, M. (2018). Predictors of customer acceptance of and resistance to smart technologies in the retail sector. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services , 42, 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.02.005.
Schumacher, J., & Rüschen, P. D. S. (2023). Smart Stores 24/7—Wo stehen wir nach 2 Jahren (2021-2023)? Kompetenznetzwerk Handel. https://handel-dhbw.de/schriftenreihe/whitepaper/elementor-10137/.
Shankar, V., Kalyanam, K., Setia, P., Golmohammadi, A., Tirunillai, S., Douglass, T., Hennessey, J., Bull, J. S., & Waddoups, R. (2021). How Technology is Changing Retail. Journal of Retailing, 97(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2020.10.006.
Siau, K., & Wang, W. (2020). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics: Ethics of AI and Ethical AI. Journal of Database Management (JDM), 31(2), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.4018/JDM.2020040105.
Szabó-Szentgróti, E., Konczos-Szombathelyi, M., Rámháp, S., & Kézai, P. K. (2023). How Consumers Accept Unmanned Smart Stores? – Introducing a Proposed Technology Acceptance Model. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 107, 373–378. https://doi.org/10.3303/CET23107063.
Tiutiu, M., & Dabija, D.-C. (2023). Improving Customer Experience Using Artificial Intelligence in Online Retail. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 17, 1139–1147. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2023-0102.
Tiutiu, M., Nemțeanu, S., Dabija, D.-C., & Pelau, C. (2025). The impact of online customer service and store features on consumer experience and willingness to revisit their preferred online store. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04383-0.
Vadruccio, R., Seghezzi, A., & Tumino, A. (2024). Smart technologies for retailing: Who, what, where and why. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 52(13), 79–102. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-06-2023-0408.
Velleman, P. F., & Welsch, R. E. (1981). Efficient Computing of Regression Diagnostics. The American Statistician, 35(4), 234–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.1981.10479362.
Williams, B., Onsman, A., & Brown, T. (2010). Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Five-Step Guide for Novices. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, 8, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.8.3.93.
Zhu, Y., Wang, P., & Xi, S. (2018). Mean-Variance Analysis of Retailers Deploying RFID-Enabled Smart Shelves. https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/9/2/40.
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Sep 29, 2025
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Improving Customer Experience Using Smart Technologies in Smart Stores. (2025). Journal of Applied Interdisciplinary Research, 2(1), 65-83. https://doi.org/10.25929/d2xe-w145