User acceptance of autonomous delivery vehicles – an empirical study in Germany

Kapser, Sebastian (2019) User acceptance of autonomous delivery vehicles – an empirical study in Germany. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.

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Abstract

The inevitable need to develop new delivery practices in last-mile delivery arises from the enormously growing business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce and the associated challenges for logistics service providers. Autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) will potentially revolutionise last-mile delivery with regard to efficiency, sustainability and customer orientation. However, if not widely accepted by end-consumers, the introduction of ADVs as a delivery option can be a substantial waste of resources.

At present, the research on consumers’ receptivity of innovations in last-mile delivery, such as ADVs, is limited. This study is the first that investigates user acceptance of ADVs in Germany by utilising a theoretically extended and modified version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) in the specific context of last-mile delivery. Quantitative data was collected through an online survey approach (n = 501) and structural equation modelling was undertaken.

The results indicate that overall trust in technology is the strongest predictor of behavioural intention (i.e., user acceptance), followed by price sensitivity, performance expectancy, innovativeness, hedonic motivation, social influence and overall perceived risk; whereas no effect could be found for effort expectancy and facilitating conditions. Additionally, street performance and parcel drop-off performance significantly influence overall trust in technology. The same is true for the effect of perceived performance risk during parcel drop-off and perceived safety risk when driving autonomously on overall perceived risk. Moreover, it has been found that overall trust in technology negatively influences overall perceived risk. Collectively, the Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Acceptance Model was able to explain 80 percent of the variance in behavioural intention to use ADVs.

These findings have not only important theoretical contributions but also managerial implications in the areas of technology acceptance and last-mile delivery innovations, which will support the long-term success of ADVs as a last-mile delivery option in Germany.

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