Enhancing Digital Adaptability Performance Among Fashion Retail Employees Facing Automation Retail Services

Given the increasing reliance on automated technology in the fashion retail industry, the study aims to understand how frontline retail employees’ perceived autonomy support enhances their basic psychological needs and ultimately fosters their digital adaptive performance toward working with retail automation. Self-determination theory perspective on basic psychological needs guided the study. The data from an online survey of frontline retail employees in the U.S. (n = 305) was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings confirm the role of perceived autonomy support in positively influencing employees’ satisfaction of basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Furthermore, these basic psychological needs distinctly predict various aspects of employees’ adaptive performance. Interestingly, the moderating effect of technology anxiety on automated technology was partially evident in the motivational mechanisms. The study contributes a theoretical framework to retail automation literature and sheds light on the managerial implications of enhancing frontline retail employees' digital adaptive performance.