The Effect of Order Kiosks on Purchase Behavior
(A2019-9593)

AUTHORS

Kai Widdecke, University of Hamburg; Karen Gedenk, University of Hamburg

KEYWORDS

Self-service technology; Order kiosks; Propensity score matching

ABSTRACT

For many years, retailers and service providers have used in-store self-service technologies (SST) to provide information to consumers (e.g., kiosk, digital signage) or facilitate the processing of purchases (e.g., self-scanning and self-checkout in supermarkets). More recently, companies offer another type of in-store SST that customers can use to place product orders, e.g., order kiosks or tablets in restaurants. For managers it is important to know how this type of technology affects purchase behavior. Do customers spend more or less when they place an order at a kiosk than with an employee? This question has not been studied, yet. The authors address this research gap with field data from a fast food restaurant, comparing the spending per order for orders placed at self-service kiosks versus with employees. After controlling for self-selection, they find that customers spend 13% more per purchase when ordering at a self-service kiosk.