Mobile Self-scanning -Increasing Self-Control?

Abstract: In the grocery store there are constantly occasions when choices are to be made. Sometimes it is hard to make the best choices. Therefore, consumers sometimes need tools to facilitate choosing the best groceries for their welfare. A mobile self-scanner can be such a tool. This article will study if a mobile self-scanner changes consumer behavior. To see if it works as self-control device, consumers with high and low self-control awareness will be investigated to see if they behave differently from each other. Data from an experiment at a Swedish supermarket will be analyzed together with a survey on impulsive items. Regression analysis will estimate if there are any significant differences in consumer behavior when using a self-scanner compared to when not using one, and also if there are any differences between consumers with high and low self-control when they use self-scanners. The results were that mobile self-scanners decrease spending for consumers with low self-control but consumers with high self-control did not change their behavior. This effect on consumers with low self-control can presumably be because a self-scanner is used as a self-control device. Consequently, mobile self-scanners are good for consumer welfare since it helps consumers make better choices.