Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable

Empathic voice assistants: Enhancing consumer responses in voice commerce

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice assistants (VAs) are transforming firm-customer interactions but often come across as lacking empathy. This challenge may cause business managers to question the overall effectiveness of VAs in shopping contexts. Recognizing empathy as a core design element in the next generation of VAs and the limits of scenario-based studies in voice commerce, this article investigates how empathy exhibited by an existing AI agent (Alexa) may alter consumer shopping responses. AI empathy moderates the original structural model bridging functional, relational, and social-emotional dimensions. Findings of an individual-session online experiment show higher intentions to delegate tasks, seek decision assistance, and trust recommendations from AI agents perceived as empathic. In contrast to individual shoppers, families respond better to functional VA attributes such as ease of use when AI empathy is present. The results contribute to the literature on AI empathy and conversational commerce while informing managerial AI design decisions

Effective Factors in Selecting Purchasing Channels for Cosmetic Products in Iran

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the key effective factors in selecting purchasing channels for cosmetic products. The purpose of this research is to investigate customer perceptions of cosmetics shopping. By synthesizing insights from prior research, this research develops a conceptual model by integrating innovations diffusion theory and theory of perceived risk to apply in preference to online shopping. 435 questionnaires were gathered, and data were analysed with the partial least squared structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method. The results show that online channels are the most popular purchasing channels for cosmetics and clarify the most significant factors that lead to cosmetic online shopping

Consumers\u27 Motivations and Daily Deal Promotions

In the last years daily deal (dd) sites have become a substantial part of e-commerce scenario. Every day, for a limited time, such sites offer their subscribers, at very discounted prices, deals for products or services. Despite the worldwide success of daily deal sites, testified by articles in newspapers and magazines, there is an almost complete absence of academic research on this topic. The aim of this paper is to understand the consumers\u27 drivers in online coupon buying. The study is exploratory in nature and authors have collected data by carrying out four synchronous online focus groups involving 21 participants and investigating five areas: level of awareness, perception area, social dimension, consumer behavior, and relationship with e-commerce. Respondents show a high level of awareness of daily deal sites. In the perceptive area, convenience emerges as the driving factor in coupon buying. As to the self-perception area, some ambivalences emerge between smartness and compulsive buying, highlighting also some dissatisfaction. The ‘social dimension’ is almost irrelevant, and as to consumer behavior, daily deal buying seems to be a kind of fashion. Consumers perceive the bargain side of the offer, behaving like “cherry pickers.

The Internet of Things Connectivity Binge: What are the Implications?

Despite wide concern about cyberattacks, outages and privacy violations, most experts believe the Internet of Things will continue to expand successfully the next few years, tying machines to machines and linking people to valuable resources, services and opportunities

Understanding Older Adults' Perceptions and Challenges in Using AI-enabled Everyday Technologies

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled everyday technologies could help address age-related challenges like physical impairments and cognitive decline. While recent research studied older adults' experiences with specific AI-enabled products (e.g., conversational agents and assistive robots), it remains unknown how older adults perceive and experience current AI-enabled everyday technologies in general, which could impact their adoption of future AI-enabled products. We conducted a survey study (N=41) and semi-structured interviews (N=15) with older adults to understand their experiences and perceptions of AI. We found that older adults were enthusiastic about learning and using AI-enabled products, but they lacked learning avenues. Additionally, they worried when AI-enabled products outwitted their expectations, intruded on their privacy, or impacted their decision-making skills. Therefore, they held mixed views towards AI-enabled products such as AI, an aid, or an adversary. We conclude with design recommendations that make older adults feel inclusive, secure, and in control of their interactions with AI-enabled products.Comment: The Tenth International Symposium of Chinese CHI (Chinese CHI 2022

Multichannel in a complex world

The proliferation of devices and channels has brought new challenges to just about every organisation in delivering consistently good customer experiences and effectively joining up service provision with marketing activity, data and content. A good multichannel strategy and execution is increasingly becoming essential to marketers and customer experience professionals from every sector. This report seeks to identify the key issues, challenges and opportunities that surround multichannel and provide some best practice insight and principles on the elements that are key to multichannel success. As part of the research for this report, we spoke to six experienced customer experience and marketing practitioners from large organisations across different sectors. In Multichannel Marketing: Metrics and Methods for On and Offline Success, Akin Arikan (2008) said: ‘Because customers are multichannel beings and demand relevant, consistent experiences across all channels, businesses need to adopt a multichannel mind-set when listening to their customers.’ It was clear from the companies interviewed for this report that it remains challenging for many organisations to maintain consistency across so many customer touchpoints. Not only that, but the ability to balance consistency with the capability to fully exploit the unique attributes of each channel remains an aspiration for many. The proliferation of devices and digital channels has added complexity to customer journeys, making issues around the joining up of customer experience and the attribution of value of key importance to many. Whilst senior leaders within the organisations spoken to seem to be bought in to multichannel, this buy-in was not always replicated across the rest of the organisation and did not always translate into a cohesive multichannel strategy. A number of companies were undertaking work around customer journey mapping and customer segmentation, using a variety of passive and actively collected data in order to identify specific areas of poor customer experience and create action plans for improvement. Others were undertaking projects using sophisticated tracking and tagging technologies to develop an understanding of the value and role of specific channels and to provide better intelligence to the business on attribution that might be used to inform future investment decisions. A consistent barrier to improving customer experience is the ability to join up many different legacy systems and data in order to provide a single customer view and form the basis for delivery of a more consistent and cohesive multichannel approach. Whilst there remain significant challenges around multichannel, there are some useful technologies allowing businesses to develop better insight into customer motivation and activity. Nonetheless, delivery of seamless multichannel experience remains a work-inprogress for many

Omnichannel Value Chain: Mapping Digital Technologies for Channel Integration Activities

In order to provide a seamless customer experience, researchers and practitioners have proposed creation of an omnichannel retailing environment by integrating online and offline channels. Channel integration necessitates use of digital technologies and there are myriads of technological solutions available. However, retailers are struggling with selection and implementation of suitable technologies to add value through channel integration. Despite the strong practical need, this issue has not been effectively addressed in the academic literature. This paper presents an omnichannel value chain underpinned by Porter’s value chain model. We identify ten channel integration activities for value creation by carrying out a synthesis of current research on omnichannel retailing. Enabling digital technologies are then mapped to these activities using technology implementation examples and provide a guideline for retailers to select appropriate technologies for the identified value creation activities

Artificial Intelligence in Smart Tourism: A Conceptual Framework

Smart tourism destination as: an innovative tourist destination, built on an infrastructure of state-of-the-art technology guaranteeing the sustainable development of tourist areas, accessible to everyone, which facilitates the visitor’s interaction with and integration into his or her surroundings, increases the quality of the experience at the destination, and improves residents’ quality of life. Lopez de Avila (2015). Smart tourism involves multiple components and layers of “smart” include (1) Smart Destinations which was special cases of smart cities integration of ICT’s into physical infrastructure, (2) Smart experience which specifically focus on technology-mediated tourism experience and their engagement through personalization, context-awareness and real-time monitoring, (3) Smart business refer to the complex business ecosystem that creates and supports the exchange of touristic resource and the co-creation of tourism experience. Gretzel et al, (2015). Smart tourism also clearly relies on the ability to not only collect enormous of data but to intelligently store, process, combine, analyze and use big data to inform business innovation, operations and services by artificial intelligence and big data technique. The rapid development of information communication technology (ICT) such as artificial intelligent, cloud computing, mobile device, big data mining and social media cause computing, storage and communication relevant software and hardware popular. Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Google have risen rapidly since 2000. In recent years, Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Thing, Robotic, Cyber Security, 3D printer and Block chain also accelerate the development of industry toward digital transformation trend such as Fintech, e-commerce, smart cities, smart tourism, smart healthcare, smart manufacturing... This study proposes a conceptual framework that integrates (1) artificial intelligence/machine learning, (2) institution/organizational and (3) business processes to assist smart tourism stake holder to leverage artificial intelligence to integrate cross-departmental business and streamline key performance metrics to build a business-level IT Strategy. Artificial intelligence as long as the function includes (1) Cognitive engagement to (voice/pattern recognition function) (2) Cognitive process automation (Robotic Process Automation) (3) Cognitive insight (forecast, recommendation)

The Evolution Of Smartcard And EMV Migration In Bahrain

Within the improvement of Information Technology era, many business enterprises, academia institutions and banks in various regions around the world are enthusiastic and looking into the future by producing an all-in-one smart card with Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) protocols for their employees, students or customers. This smart card can be used in different fields such as ID card, debit/credit card, transportations, healthcare, communication networks, loyalty, etc., with high level of security.  This paper gives the reader an overview of the evolution of smart card and the important benefits derived over the existing traditional magnetic stripe card. The paper aims to study the following five key elements: Importance of EMV, EMV Implementation in Bahrain, Obstacles and Constraints, Customer Satisfaction, and EMV Future in Bahrain.  The results of the study reveals that Bahrain is on its approach towards the EMV migration and will definitely be ready for rollout in the coming few years. It was also demonstrated that even though adopting EMV smart card technology may cost the organization a lot, it would be on the other hand very beneficial to them in many different aspects. Furthermore, it was provided that moving toward smart card in general will differentiate Bahrain and will put her among the leader.  This paper can be used as a basis for further researches to improve specific aspects of the evolution of smart card and EMV Migration in the Kingdom of Bahrain or elsewhere. It will also provide a useful input for other local banks and/or organizations that have not proceed towards smart card adaptation yet