The influence of consumer traits and demographics on intention to use retail self-service checkouts

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among demographic factors (gender, age, education, and income), consumer traits (technology anxiety, need for interaction, and technology innovativeness), and intention to use retail self-checkouts. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 285 usable responses are obtained through a web-based survey after excluding non-qualified respondents. Structural equation modeling is developed and tested. Findings - The results of this paper demonstrate that demographic factors only indirectly influence intention to use retail self-checkouts through consumer traits and thus the authors conclude that individual differences in the use of retail self-checkouts can be attributed to consumer traits which are determined by some of the demographic factors. Research limitations/implications - Demographic factors and consumer traits are only included as determinants of intention to use retail self-checkouts. Therefore, future research could attempt to draw a comprehensive picture of retail self-checkouts by incorporating other relevant factors. Originality/value - By classifying individual difference traits into demographic factors and consumer traits, this paper provides more detailed explanations of the relationships among demographic factors, consumer traits, and intention to use retail self-checkouts.