How hedonic and utilitarian stimuli shape trust and adoption intention towards autonomous delivery vehicles: a stimulus–organism–response perspective

Autonomous delivery vehicles offer transformative potential for urban logistics, yet consumer adoption remains constrained by psychological uncertainties and technological ambiguity. Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response theory, this study examines how hedonic and utilitarian stimuli associated with autonomous delivery vehicles influence consumers' trust and, subsequently, their intention to adopt. Survey data from 480 consumers, analysed through PLS-SEM and validated using artificial neural networks, show that perceived competence is the most influential antecedent of trust, followed by hedonic motivation, user-facing technology performance, delivery task requirement, and anthropomorphism. Notably, technological complexity significantly weakens the trust–adoption linkage, revealing a critical boundary condition for consumer acceptance. The findings advance understanding of how consumers evaluate intelligent delivery technologies and highlight the need for reducing perceived complexity while enhancing competence cues. This study offers actionable implications for firms and policymakers seeking to accelerate the transition to autonomous last-mile logistics.