Constituents and consequences of smart customer experience in retailing

Smart retail technologies have the potential to improve the customer retail experience by providing superior and personalized retail services. However, when shoppers have to deal with technologically sophisticated retail services, concerns arise regarding the customers' adoption and their psychological reactions towards smart retail technologies. This study explores the factors which constitute customers' experience with the smart retail technologies and examines an innovative construct (i.e. smart customer experience) in retailing. The development of a conceptual model explores smart customer experiences and their consequences on smart technology, customer, and retailer-level outcomes. Guided by technology adoption research, this research examines the relationships between smart customer experience, customer satisfaction, perceived risk, behavioral intentions, word-of-mouth intentions, stickiness to retail store, shopping effectiveness, and consumer well-being. This study uses a multi-phased research approach. Findings indicate that smart customer experience directly enhances satisfaction and reduces perceived risk towards smart retail technologies. Customer satisfaction increases behavioral intentions, word-of-mouth intentions, stickiness to retailer, shopping effectiveness, and customer well-being. Perceived risk reduces behavioral intentions, word-of-mouth intentions, shopping effectiveness, and stickiness to retailer. Finally, customer satisfaction and perceived risk both mediate the relationships between smart customer experience and outcome variables. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.