Abstract
This study applies experiential value, satisfaction, brand love, brand loyalty, and generation to identify consumer behavior toward robot baristas providing new non-face-to-face services during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the analysis, a set of hypotheses was developed and tested based on the data collected from 404 customers who had visited a robot barista coffee shop (RBCS) in South Korea. The results show that playfulness had the most positive effect on satisfaction, followed by service excellence and consumer return on investment (CROI). Satisfaction had a positive effect on brand love and loyalty. This result indicates that playfulness, service excellence, and CROI are important for inducing brand love and brand loyalty of customers toward RBCS. Moreover, generation plays a moderating role between satisfaction and brand love, and between brand and brand loyalty. This research design and the results differ from those of previous studies on experiential value that have focused on human services in the hospitality industry. Consequently, this study contributes to the hospitality literature by applying the experience value theory, which has been mainly applied to research on human services, to non-face-to-face service research, and to identifying its role. Additionally, it makes an important contribution by presenting practical implications for the sustainable management of the food service industry in the COVID-19 era.
Highlights
IntroductionCOVID-19 has greatly affected all industries economically and brought about many social and cultural changes; the food service industry is no exception [1]
Restaurant sales are declining in South Korea due to the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak; restaurant owner debt increased by an average of 10,000 USD in one year, and more than half of them were contemplating closing their business [7]
Results after eliminating one item each from consumer return on investment (CROI), playfulness, and satisfaction, which reduced the model fit based on squared multiple correlation
Summary
COVID-19 has greatly affected all industries economically and brought about many social and cultural changes; the food service industry is no exception [1]. Consumer lifestyles are heavily impacted by concerns about mandatory lockdowns, social distancing, and the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic [2]. Most small businesses are facing the risk of bankruptcy due to COVID-19 and the resulting predicted economic crisis [6]. Restaurant sales are declining in South Korea due to the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak; restaurant owner debt increased by an average of 10,000 USD in one year, and more than half of them were contemplating closing their business [7]. For coffee shop businesses in South Korea, COVID-19 is likely to hinder the sales growth of coffee business, and coffee shop operators are working to minimize their losses by focusing on quarantine [8]. At a Starbucks store near Seoul Station, an employee was infected by a customer; the disease quickly spread to other customers, and eventually, the store was closed for a long time [9]
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