Antecedents of multidimensional inertia toward self-service technology

Prior research on self-service technology (SST) use in the hospitality sector has primarily focused on how SST attributes shape customers’ service experiences. The present study examined the psychological mechanisms that sustain customers’ engagement with SST in the restaurant context. Specifically, it investigated how the perceived benefits and costs of SST use influence customers’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral inertia. Furthermore, it assessed how these multidimensional inertia states influence customers’ approach and avoidance responses toward SST use. Survey data were collected from 206 customers who had used SST. The results of partial least squares structural equation modeling revealed the importance of perceived benefits in shaping cognitive, affective, and behavioral inertia. However, perceived costs did not significantly influence cognitive or behavioral inertia. Among the three dimensions, only affective inertia significantly increased approach behavior and decreased avoidance of SST. Finally, the results of multigroup analysis showed that customer behavior varies depending on the frequency of their SST use. The impact of cognitive and affective inertia on avoidance intention was only significant for customers who used SST less frequently. This study contributes to the existing literature by identifying the importance of antecedents of customers’ positive continuance intentions.