Measuring Corporate Affinity for Technology: A Scale for Customers and Employees

Abstract

The adoption of self-service technology by customers has revolutionized the selling process. From pouring their own fountain drinks in fast-food restaurants to booking airline tickets online, customers are more involved in tailoring their own purchasing and consuming experiences. A selling firm’s use of self-service technology can strengthen customer relationships and lead to greater profits. Therefore, sales and marketing managers need to monitor how their customers perceive their firm’s use of technology as part of the selling effort. The increased importance of technology within sales has opened an area of important research. However, if researchers are going to examine this phenomenon effectively, they need tools designed specifically for its study. This paper reports the development and validation process of a research scale to measure customer and employee perceptions of a firm’s affinity for technology.