The Impact of an In-store Self-service Technology on Customer Experience and Post-purchase Variables

The main objective of this study is to establish whether in-store self-service technology (phygital context) significantly influences the dimensions of customer experience established by Brun et al. (Serv Ind J 37:317-340, 2017, [1]), i.e., the cognitive, positive affective, negative affective, sensory, behavioral and social dimensions. Our second objective is to analyze the individual influence of each of these dimensions on the post-purchase variables of satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth intention. To do this, an in-store experiment is carried out with 102 millennial subjects, half ofwhom used the interactivewall to choose sports shoes while the other half consulted a salesperson exclusively. The results demonstrate that use of self-service technology has a significant positive effect on the positive cognitive/affective and sensory dimensions of the customer experience; conversely, the social dimension is diminished. Further, contrary to what had been expected, the negative dimension is increased when using self-service technology. Also, the customer experience dimensions have a different impact on the consumer's satisfaction and positive WOM intention. The results therefore demonstrate the relevance of analyzing customer experience from a multidimensional point of view. This study provides some answers to marketers considering in-store self-service technology to improve the consumer experience. Concretely, it provides managers with information relevant to the design of effective technological assistance appreciated by consumers in a phygital context.