Individual-, task-, and technology-fit perspective of autonomous delivery robots confirmation and adoption in smart cities

For autonomous delivery robots to have commercial viability in smart cities, consumers’ intention to adopt them is crucial. To examine this, the Expectation-Confirmation Theory and Fit between Individuals, Tasks, and Technology framework are applied, and this study aims to examine the adoption intentions of the autonomous delivery robots by interpreting confirmation and interaction quality. A survey was distributed and 637 complete responses were analyzed through structural equation modeling. All the hypotheses were accepted, and the variance in the endogenous variables (interaction quality, confirmation, and adoption intention) was adequately explained by the exogenous variables (individual-technology fit, task-technology fit, anthropomorphism, hedonic motivation, and perceived competence). The key determinants of adoption intentions are interaction quality, confirmation, and perceived competence. Hence, technology developers must optimize consumers’ interactions by designing the interfaces to be user-friendly. Additionally, feedback sessions must be conducted to uncover consumers’ expectations such that their expectations will consistently be met and confirmed.