Abstract

The aim of the research is to understand the relationship between personality types and the use of self-checkout machines (SCO) in retail. Understanding this relationship will provide different perspectives of how and why consumers interact with this technology in order to implement the technology for improved use. This research presents the theory behind technology acceptance, consumer personalities, technology anxiety and human interaction before creating a questionnaire to understand the relationship between SCO use and personality types. The findings show a relationship between personality types and attitudes towards and usage of SCO. A number of situational factors are also found to have a significant effect on consumers’ decision to use SCO, of which speed and item quantity had a greater influence on attitudes and usage than personality type. As one of the first papers comparing personality types and the adoption of self-checkout technology, it provides a unique insight into how such technologies are used in retail. By understanding how different personalities view, and use, self-checkouts, they will be better able to optimise the customer experience when preparing to leave the store, and ultimately encourage them to return later.Research already exists that looks at self-service technology in different situations but little research exists that looks specifically at self-checkouts in retail environments. This paper addresses that lack by not only looking at attitudes towards self-check-outs, but also comparing those attitudes to personality types.

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