Navigating the Future of Retail: User-Centric Analysis of IoT-Enabled Automated Purchasing Systems

Abstract

Background With the proliferation of smart devices, consumer purchasing experiences are rapidly transitioning from traditional offline environments to online platforms. Amidst this shift, various online shopping platforms are adopting automation strategies in their purchasing processes to secure customer loyalty. Particularly, with the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, innovative automatic purchasing services like Amazon Dash Smart Shelf are gaining attention. However, current research predominantly focuses on the efficiency of automation, with a lack of in-depth studies on user experience and service design. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting research where users directly experience and evaluate automated purchasing services. Methods This exploratory research on IoT-enabled automated purchasing services is divided into two studies. The first study involved a deep analysis of existing e-commerce users’ purchasing experiences, assessing their perception and need for automated services. This was achieved using the FCB Grid measurement method and in-depth interviews. Based on this, the research team developed a minimum viable product (MVP) that allowed users to experience fully automated purchasing. The second study involved users actually experiencing the automated purchasing service, with their experiences evaluated through diary studies, surveys, and interviews. Results In the first study, in-depth interviews and involvement assessments were conducted with 14 participants from 1–3 person households. Participants identified repetitive purchasing, inventory management difficulties, and the inconvenience of using various purchasing outlets as major issues with existing services. The involvement assessment revealed that the most suitable product group for automation was rational and low-involvement products. In the second study, another set of 10 participants experienced the automated purchasing service for six weeks, documenting and evaluating their experiences through diary studies. This process highlighted the participants’ system requirements and the need for personalized services, which significantly contributed to the formation of service design guidelines. These guidelines, based on insights from the participants’ experiences, suggest directions for the development of hardware, software, and overall service. Finally, the service received high scores in terms of ease of learning, satisfaction, usefulness, and ease of use, as confirmed by the USE (Usability, Satisfaction, and Ease of use) evaluation survey. Conclusions This study analyzes users’ expectations and needs for IoT-based automated purchasing services from the perspective of involvement and explores the potential of the service through long-term actual use experiences. The research provides directions for the development of fully automated purchasing services, contributing significantly to future research and service development.