Personality determinants of need for interaction with a retail employee and its impact on self-service technology (SST) usage intentions

Purpose - The purpose of this study was, first, to link interpersonal-hedonic values, intuitive-experiential thinking style, external locus of control (LOC) and sociability to the need for interaction with a retail employee; and, second, to empirically test the moderating effect of the time convenience of self-service technologies (SSTs) on the proposed relationships in the model. Design/methodology/approach - This study was conducted in a retail setting in which an automated checkout process occurred with the use of self-checkout systems. A self-administered, online survey approach was utilized targeting consumer panel members. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings - Interpersonal-hedonic values, external LOC and sociability emerged as reliable antecedents of the need for interaction with a retail employee, whereas the intuitive-experiential thinking style did not. This study also showed the inverse relationship between the need for interaction with a retail employee and the intentions to use SSTs. In relation to the moderating role of the time convenience of SSTs, the positive effects of interpersonal-hedonic values, intuitive-experiential thinking style, external LOC and sociability on the need for interaction with a retail employee were shown lesser for consumers with low levels of the time convenience of SSTs. The negative effect of the need for interaction with a retail employee on the intentions to use SSTs was shown to be greater for consumers with low levels of the time convenience of SSTs. Originality/value - The present study adds to a growing body of literature on SSTs by exploring the causal and hierarchical effects of personality traits that determine the intentions to use SSTs.