Would an Expert Driver Get an Autonomous Car? The Impact of Consumers’ Task Expertise on the Intention to Adopt Autonomous Products
(A2022-107281)

AUTHORS

Radu Dimitriu, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin; Fred Selnes, BI Norwegian Business School; Adeel Tariq, University of Southeastern Norway; Tobias Heußler, Wiesbaden Business School; Christof Backhaus, Edinburgh Napier University Business School; David Dose, University of Exeter Business School

ABSTRACT

In recent years, companies have increasingly been developing autonomous products, assuming that customers are easily persuaded to adopt them. However, while consumers are likely to ap-preciate the usefulness of such products, they are also likely to perceive there are risks related to how such products perform and function. The goal of this paper is therefore to examine how consumers will form intentions to adopt autonomous products. Drawing on a modified version of the technology acceptance model (TAM), we develop and empirically test a model for the explanation and prediction of users’ intentions to adopt products differing in their type of autonomy. Three experimental studies, Study 1 with N=101, Study 2 with N=137 and Study 3 with N=253 participants, provide empirical support for perceived usefulness and performance risk mediating the effect of product autonomy type on adoption intentions under the moderating effect of consumer task expertise.