How customers ‘learn’ to work for retailers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how learning style affects the performance of the ‘working’ customer in one self-service context – retail Self Check-Out Tills (SCOT). For the purposes of this paper, we have adopted the UK term Self Check-Out Tills (SCOT), also known as ‘self-service registers’ in other countries, to describe this form of self-service in retail stores). The study uses qualitative and quantitative data collected from users of retail SCOT. Initial exploratory factor analysis of 232 SCOT users revealed significant differences in learning styles. Three categories emerged: ‘regular reassurance’, ‘motivated practice’ and ‘cautious discovery’. Customers adopting different learning styles varied in their perceptions of ability and enjoyment with SCOT, and in their capability of helping other customers with SCOT. The demographic make-up of customers adopting the different learning styles was also shown to vary. Previously, little has been done to identify the specific training needs of working customers. This research begins to address this knowledge gap.

Keywords:

• customer participation
• self-service
• technology
• factor analysis
• co-creation
• learning style

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kim Cassidy (aka Harris)

Kim Cassidy (aka Harris) is Professor of Services Marketing at Nottingham Trent University Business School. Her primary research interests are in Services Marketing where she has developed an international reputation for her work on consumer experiences, specifically customer-to-customer interactions and applications of the theatre metaphor in services. She is Chair of the Services Marketing SIG for the Academy of Marketing. She has an MA and PhD in Services Marketing and publications in the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, Service Industries Journal, Journal of Services Marketing, and International Journal of Service Industry Management.

Steve Baron

Steve Baron is Professor of Marketing at the University of Liverpool Management School, and former Chair of the UK Academy of Marketing Special Interest Group for Services Marketing and the AMA Servsig International Research Conference. His current research interests include the understanding of service experiences from the consumer perspective, and communities of service and social practice. He has publications in services, marketing, education and management journals, including Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, International Journal of Market Research, Higher Education Quarterly, and Journal of Business Research. He is co-author of Services Marketing: Text and Cases, published by Palgrave in 2009, and Relationship Marketing: A Consumer Experience Perspective, published by Sage in 2010.

T 0151 795 3803

E [email protected]

Xiaoming Lu

Xiaoming Lu is currently a lecturer in Marketing, at Newcastle University Business School, UK. She obtained her doctorate from the Business School at Loughborough University. Her current research interests are in the areas of the impact of technology on marketing communication, relationship quality, e-service quality, and e-loyalty.

T 0191 208 1732

E [email protected]