The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence consumers’ acceptance intentions towards Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Genetic Testing service. DTC genetic testing service can be considered in two aspects: the application of new technology in genetic testing customers can directly purchase and the services for receiving the test results customer can’t directly analyze. Existing technology-based acceptance models have difficulty fully explaining consumers’ acceptance intentions towards DTC genetic testing services. Therefore, this study aims to propose a new acceptance model considering these two characteristics. A survey was conducted with 377 potential consumers for this research. The analysis revealed that health interest, prior knowledge, subjective norms, innovativeness, perceived usefulness, and perceived value affect consumers’ acceptance intentions. The results obtained through this study can help establish strategies and marketing plans necessary for the diffusion of services, such as DTC genetic testing services, that combine a new technology and a service. In the long term, the accumulated DTC genetic testing results data can contribute to the development of national genetic information infrastructure and preventive medical applications, as well as improve individuals’ quality of life.

본 연구는 스키장 렌탈샵의 서비스 품질이 소비자의 지각된 가치 및 구매행동에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 규명하여 스키장 렌탈 산업의 서비스 품질을 개선하고 고객들의 욕구를 충족시킬 수 있는 기초 적 자료를 제공하고자 했다. 따라서 국내 스키장 6곳(하이원리조트, 용평리조트, 지산리조트, 곤지암리조트, 휘닉스파크, 웰리힐리)의 렌탈샵 방문 이용자를 대상으로 조사를 수행됐다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS(ver. 25.0) 프로그램을 활용하여 빈도분석, 탐색적 요인분석, t-test, 일원변량 분산분석, 상관관계 분석, 단순 및 다중 회귀분석을 실시했다. 본 연구에서 도출된 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 스키장 렌탈샵의 서비스 품질이 지각 된 가치에 편리성, 공감성, 서비스, 시설환경 순으로 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 지각된 가치가 구매행동의 구매의도 및 추천의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 스키장 렌탈샵 의 서비스 품질이 구매행동의 구매의도 및 추천의도에 공감성, 시설환경, 편리성, 서비스 순으로 유의한 영 향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

An increasing number of companies are using service robots, such as physical robots and virtual chatbots, to interact with their customers. Service robots are autonomous agents with the purpose of providing services to customers by performing a variety of physical and nonphysical tasks (Joerling et al., 2019). Conceptual work has suggested that social robots will increasingly be used in the front line of service encounters (Gonzalez-Jimenez, 2018; Van Doorn et al., 2017). Real examples of the inclusion of these robots in retail settings already exist. For instance, some retailers use Softbank´s robot Pepper to greet and inform customers. Social robots such as Pepper can use their sensors and cameras to interpret customer reactions and adapt accordingly. Moreover, the robot can even make product recommendations based on the assessed customer´s mood, age, gender and, if available, purchase history (McKenna, 2018). Not surprisingly, there is a vast market potential associated with these robots, which is expected to grow to 87 billion by 2025 (BCG, 2017).

The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has accelerated the promotion and application of service robot in the market. Although technology has provided service robot with increasingly autonomous functions, more research is needed on how service robot with different levels of autonomy affects customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Guided by affordance theory, the study examines whether service robot operational and decisional autonomy would have effects on customer satisfaction and explored explanatory mechanism. Adopting an experimental vignette method (EVM), the study reveals that direct effect of service robot operational autonomy and indirect effect of decisional autonomy on customer satisfaction, and functional affordance played a positive mediating role in the impact of service robot autonomy on customer satisfaction. This research extends and enriches the relevant literature on human-machine interaction and customer satisfaction research. Further, the study also provides marketing insights for enterprises to improve autonomous robot design and enhance customer relationships.

Technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are emerging as a new way to improve services, readjusting and impacting all business industries and relationships among people (Loureiro et al., 2021; Makridakis, 2017; Mingotto et al., 2020). The hospitality industry is no exception to this (Mingotto et al., 2020) since a quick growth in the use of robots and AI in this industry has registered a turnover of 249 million U.S. dollars (International Federation of Robots, 2021). However, very few of the existing studies highlight the customers’ perspective and sentiments on service robots (Luo et al., 2021) or the robot-human interactions/ customer service experience (Choi et al., 2021). Thus, further studies in the enhancement of human well-being through transhumanistic technologies, close relationship marketing capabilities, and the evolution of the engagement process between humans and AI-enabled machines are necessary (Loureiro et al., 2021). This research intends to understand how different types of robots influence customers’ perception of the service provided. Therefore, the following research questions are proposed; Can humans develop feelings of identification with a service robot? Can the identification that customers perceive between themselves, and service robots be strong enough to influence the creation of a close relationship between both parties? What are the features of service robots that heighten customer well-being?

본 연구는 헤어서비스전문가의 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 정서적 소진과 자아탄력성에 미치는 영향에 대하여 연구하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 서울, 경기, 전남지역 헤어미용전문가를 대상으로 318부의 설문지가 최종 분석 자료로 사용되었으며 SPSS 26.0 통계 프로그램을 사용하여 분석 되었다. 연구결과는 첫째, 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 정서적 소진에 정적(+)상관관계를 보였고, 블랙컨슈머 행동지각이 자아탄력성에 부적(-)상관관계를 보였다. 정서적 소진과 자아탄력성은 서로 부적(-)상관관계를 보였다. 둘째, 블랙컨슈머 요인 중 과도성이 정서적 소진에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다. 셋째, 블랙컨슈머 요인 중 과도성, 상습성이 자아탄력성에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다. 넷째, 정서적 소진은 자아탄력성에 영향을 미치고 있음이 확인되었다.

The current study uses risk theory to explore factors mitigating consumers’ intention to use SSTs. The findings of an empricial study reveal that the perceived time, security and addiction risk indirectly reduce consumers’ intention to use SSTs through the per-ceived psychological risk. Most importantly, this study’s findings show that an increas-ing autonomy of SSTs strengthens the effects of perceived addiction risk.

Building on Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model(TRAM), the study aimed to examine how technology readiness affects consumers’ perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and risk, which in turn predict their intention to use retail service robots. Specifically, the study proposed that technology readiness motivators (optimism and innovativeness) would influence perceived ease of use and usefulness, while technology readiness inhibitors (discomfort and insecurity) would affect perceived risk. The study further examined if the perception factors (ease of use, usefulness, and risk) contribute to intention to use retail service robots. A survey method was used with data collected from Korean consumers. The final sample size was 418. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings of the study revealed that technology readiness motivators positively affected perceived ease of use and usefulness while innovativeness had no impact on usefulness. All the inhibitors increased perceived risk. Lastly, as hypothesized, perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and risk predicted intention to use retail service robots. This study extended the retail technology literature by applying and validating TRAM to the context of consumer acceptance of retail service robots. The study further helped marketers and retailers by highlighting the importance of technology readiness in improving consumer perceptions and responses towards retail service robots.

Consumers’ desire for beauty has become a driving force in the beauty service industry which was further developed through specialization and segmentation. Nail-care service, which is one of the beauty services, is showing rapid growth, and intense competition among salons has become apparent. Thus, service management method and marketing strategy are required for customer satisfaction. Therefore, in this study, we tried to classify the nail-care services on the basis of systematization and realization of its characteristics which are fundamental when developing management and marketing strategies. The subjects of this study were women in their 20s and above living in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon areas. As a result, the nail-care service factors are classified as “external environment” (interior, celebrity, newness), “internal environment” (equipment and products, cleanliness, and environment), “location” (location and transportation convenience), “reputation” (good reputation), “technician skill,” “kindness,” “relationship” (relationship, empathy, and affinity), and “price and discount.” The consumer types of nail-care services were classified into three groups according to the degree of involvement of these concept systems. These results can be used as marketing basics and will be the basis for studying marketing strategies. However, the consideration of setting up a marketing strategy for each consumer type will be presented in a follow-up study.