Suchita Jha

Digitalization has transformed dynamics across all fields, and technology has completely changed the customer experience. One prominently utilized technology in offline retail is self-checkout services. The present study intends to investigate the attributes that influence people to use self-checkout services and assess their impact on service quality and customer satisfaction. Drawn from Dabholkar’s attribute-based model, the study employs a positivist approach to test the conceptual framework. After the preliminary survey of 330 respondents, it identified ninety-nine consumers who had used the self-service check-out facility. The data collected were analyzed using a multi-variate technique – Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) – owing to the small sample size requirement. All independent variables taken for the study positively affect the service quality. Customer perception of control, ease of use, reliability, enjoyment, speed, adventure, and openness positively affect service quality. It was noted that ease of use, with a variance value of 2.451, and openness to experience, with a variance value of 2.437, show the importance of determining independent variables with service quality. The study findings reported that service quality is primarily influenced by ease of use, enjoyment, and openness to experience. It underlines that some retail customers will likely feel frustrated rather than enjoy the self-service technology, perceiving it as less reliable. The study suggests incorporating openness to experience and adventure shopping in retail outlets that can enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Adopting an immersive and interactive shopping experience will ultimately improve the perception of service quality and customer happiness.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study seeks to investigate the role of an influencer’s credibility, personality congruence, and engagement on consumer trust and the role of such trust on purchasing propensity in the global fashion industry. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire (online) from 326 followers of fashion influencers from India in a span of 2 months, adopting a purposive sampling technique. The analysis was performed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results and findings show that Influencer Credibility, Personality Congruence, and Virtual Influencer Engagement have a direct impact on the trust of shoppers, and Trust has a strong mediating impact on Purchase Intention. However, Influencer Credibility with path coefficient (β = 0.821) influences the Purchase Intention the most. Trust is significantly influenced by both Influencer Credibility (β = 0.541, t = 13.969, p < 0.001) and Virtual Influencer Engagement (β = 0.176, t = 7.451, p < 0.001). Trust also served as a critical mediator, positively affecting Purchase Intention (β = 0.473, t = 2.958, p = 0.003). This study bridges the gap that has so far received less attention, the trust factor in virtual influencers. This research thus contributes to marketers and brands making use of virtual influencer strategies by analyzing the antecedents of trust and its consequences on purchase intentions.