Exploring the inherent benefits of RFID and automated self-serve checkouts in a B2C environment

Automated identification services such as RFID and self-serve checkouts that require many different technological components in order to successfully operate and be accepted in a B2C (Business-to-Customer) environment. In theory, using self-checkouts as a proxy for RFID applications, allows for an investigation of potential consumers’ acceptance of self-service technology to be determined when applied to a retail environment. In terms of factor analysis results, three independent constructs were found from the interval Likert-type and binary discrete variables from the questionnaire data. The three major constructs that were generated from the factor loadings, renamed based on the variables that loaded with loadings equal to greater than 0.5, included: positive experience, privacy and demographics, and acceptability of technology. The independent constructs of positive experience (t = 6.296, p = 0.000) and acceptability of technology (t = –2.478, p = 0.016) were the most important factors in predicting the frequency of use of such automated technologies in a retail grocery setting.