The Impact of Consumer Values on Behavioral Intention in Robot Barista Cafe: Exploring Moderating Effects of Frequency of Use and Consumer Innovativeness

Since the onset of COVID-19, there has been a surge in demand for contactless services, leading to the rapid expansion of unmanned robot barista cafes. While in-person service establishments have started to regain activity post-pandemic, the prevalence of robot barista cafes operating via human-robot collaboration remains relatively limited. This research defined consumer value in these collaborative robot cafes in terms of functional, emotional, and self-expressive aspects, examining the moderating effects of frequency of use and consumer innovativeness. The findings revealed that emotional, self-expressive, and functional values, in that order, positively influence behavioral intention, with only functional value demonstrating a negative moderating effect on purchase frequency. Moreover, consumer innovativeness positively moderated the relationship between self-expressive value and behavioral intention, but negatively moderated the association with functional value. However, no moderating effect was observed in the relationship with emotional value.BR These research outcomes hold practical significance for marketing strategies and management decisions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the coexistence of humans and robots and serving as a foundational dataset for the advancement and development of related industries.