Commercial attractiveness of Industry 4.0 technology in the opinion of customers of the young generation

Abstract

Purpose: The main objective of the article is to present the results of a study on the attitude of young generation customers to Industry 4.0 technologies used in manufacturing companies and the resulting conclusions. Design/Methodology/Approach: The CAWI methodology was used in the study. The respondents were mainly students of the University of Gdańsk and the Pomeranian University in Słupsk (320) aged 18-35, as full-fledged clients of the young generation. As part of the survey, respondents explained what Industry 4.0 technology is all about. Conclusions: As the basic results of the study turned out to be consistent with the hypotheses (younger generation customers are mostly ambivalent about the technologies used in manufacturing companies), an additional study was conducted on what is important to them. This part of the study yielded very interesting results from a marketing point of view. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation is that the study was conducted on students majoring in management. Currently, the research is being continued, consisting in polling the opinions of students of humanities and engineering. Practical implications: The results of the study can be used in the practice of marketing management of enterprises. Societal implications: The results of the study will have no impact on society at large. Originality/value: The publication is addressed to academics at management and marketing faculties and practitioners of the management of manufacturing enterprises. The main value of the article is the innovative (so far unprecedented) context of deliberations on technologies included in the Industry 4.0 concept. Keywords: customers of the young generation, Industry 4.0 technologies, Industry 4.0, preferences, quality features of products. Thesis category: research paper.