Exploring the Emergent Servicescape of Unmanned Stores: A Constructivist Analysis of Unmanned Stores in the Age of Digitalization

Sammanfattning: Unmanned stores are increasing in popularity as the prominence of digitalization is changing not only the customer-retailer interface but also the servicescapes of the stores. The current stakeholders within the industry are (1) tech-positive entrepreneurs that want to innovate the industry or (2) convenience-focused retailers adopting technological solutions to ease the workload. These innovations may cause a belief that this is a step towards the interconnectedness of the physical and digital aspects of the servicescapes. Previous studies have addressed unmanned stores' acceptance rates of technologically advanced solutions. But, very few papers address the futile discrepancies and need for connectivity between the physical and digital spheres of the stores. The authors have yet to find any academic research addressing strategies currently used to enhance sales or motivate customers to return. The findings of this research through autoethnographies and interviews display a physical and technological integration level not previously mentioned. At the same time, there are apparent discrepancies between the customer and employee interactions and how these interactions balance what is supposed to be redundant and what is required to support the customer experience.