Why the little things matter: Exploring situational influences on customers' self-service technology decisions

The bulk of self-service research has focused on customers' static attitudes toward the technology while failing to note that situational influences can often have just as much, if not more, influence on a customer's decision to approach or avoid a self-service technology (SST). Exploring the importance of these situational influences, the authors conceptualize and empirically test a model of situational influences on customers' perceived time pressure, shopping effectiveness, and attitude toward using an SST. The results of a national panel database study found that during the SST transaction, four situational variables—order size, wait-time tolerance, location convenience, and employee presence—all had a strong influence in customers' SST decisions. Managerial implications are provided about the importance of accounting for situational influences in the adoption and implementation of SSTs going forward.