Don’t Forget Consumer Value : Investigating Consumer Attitudes toward QR-codes

• In a transforming retail sector digitization has boosted innovation and new self-service technologies within stores all over the world. However, innovations within retailing are seldom successful if they are not built on true consumer value. This paper investigates consumer attitudes toward using mobile devices in a retail setting, with specific focus on QR-codes and how they might deliver customer value. The data consists of 150 in-store surveys conducted at two different Swedish retailers. The results of the empirical material show significant differences between age groups with regard to how they value QR-codes but also what would make them actually use one. While the consumer group of 40-years old and upward expressed that they would pick up their mobile phone and scan the QR-code given a discount, the younger group (up to 40 years old) did not value a discount but would scan a QR-code if there was entertainment value in doing so. Except from these differences the material also reveals low consumer knowledge of QR-codes and that the actual use of them is also low. These results, in light of, the increased attention from retailers in using mobile devices for communicating with consumers, as well as investing in other digital aids in order to increase profits, show discrepancies in perceived value of digital aids on the part of the retailer and the value experienced by the consumer. It is of outmost importance not to forget consumer value when managing innovations within the retail context.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

QR-codes

consumer value

innovation

digitization

Handel och innovation

Handel och IT

Handel och IT

Bussiness and IT

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)