A Study on the Consumers’ Generation Differences in Technology Readiness and Self-Service Technology Adoption

As the utilization of self-service technology (SST) continues to rise, understanding consumers’ motivations to adopt SST becomes increasingly important. This study investigated how consumers’ technol ogy readiness influence their adoption motives and satisfaction with SST. This study focused on optimism and innovativeness as the key indicators of technology readiness and utilizes four motives for adopting SST, namely expediency, perceived ease of use, reliability, and enjoyment. The study conducted a survey targeting consumers who had experienced SST in South Korea. Employing structural equation modeling (SEM), this study identified that technology optimism positively influenced all four adoption motives. Similarly, innovativeness positively impacted ease of use and enjoyment, though not significantly affecting expediency and reliability. Moreover, expediency and reliability contributed significantly to satisfaction. However, the influence of ease of use and enjoyment on satisfaction lacked statistical significance. Furthermore, this study identified notable moderating effects of generations. Categorizing participants into two groups, this study analyzed moderation by generations. Results showed the age groups moderated the influence of optimism on expediency and ease of use, with stronger effects in seniors than younger individuals. Additionally, the age groups moderated the impact of innovativeness on ease of use, with a stronger effect among the younger group. In light of these findings, this study recommended the im plementation of more personalized and targeted strategies, accounting for the generation differences in techno logical attitudes and the acceptance of SST.