Tech Savvy Shoppers : A quantitative study of how Generation Z perceive self-service technology in the fashion retail sector

Abstract: Fashion retail stores are one of the settings where technology innovation is implemented to make the in-store experience more efficient than before. One of the innovations that are becoming increasingly common is self-service checkouts. Generation Z is the upcoming and new buying force for the retailers to target and this is what has been the foundation for the orientation of this thesis. The purpose of the research has been to examine factors that influence Generation Z usage of self-service checkouts in fashion retail stores in Sweden. In order to investigate this, the authors developed six hypotheses from previous research about convenience, time efficiency, attitude towards technology, subjective norms, interaction avoidance and fear of failure. The primary data presented in the chapter for empirical findings were gained through a questionnaire where 384 respondents participated. The data was analyzed in the statistical software program SPSS in order to test the hypotheses. The findings were presented in the analysis chapter where it also was discussed with the literature to be able to identify if there were any similarities or differences. The conclusion of this thesis shows that there are different factors that are influencing Generation Z to use self-service checkouts in fashion retail stores. Convenience emerges as the strongest influencing factor, while fear of failure holds the least influence on Generation Z's intention to utilize self-service checkouts. These findings aim to assist fashion retail companies in understanding the critical considerations when implementing self-service checkouts in-store.