Novel Technology in a Retail Space: A study of how IKEA retail space influences adoption of smart technology for the home

Sammanfattning: The objective of this thesis is to understand how a retail space could facilitate a broader adoption of a novel technology. I aim to respond to the following questions, (i) ‘What characterises the practice of operating a smart technology for the home?’, (ii) ‘Which are the main barriers to reaching out to a broader range of customers, as opposed to only the technology interested customers?’, and (iii) ‘What in the retail space would need to change to facilitate broader adoption of a novel technology?’. The theoretical framework is built around social practices, how they are composed and transformed over time, and how the different elements influence and shape each other. From a cultural analytical perspective, it is very important to understand how emotions, senses and atmospheres shape the practice of adopting a novel technology, such as IKEA’s Home Smart system. The area of study was several IKEA retail stores, across Europe. Data was gathered through interviews with, and observations of, IKEA staff and IKEA store visitors. Several experiments to test early hypothesis formed during the field studies were also conducted. Through the lens of social practices, the barriers identified were, lacking system understanding, information not available (at point of sale), staff not available to answer questions, staff not capable to answer questions, poor atmosphere (not tailored to local needs), poor atmosphere (disturbed by damaged or dusty furniture), and malfunctioning system. The required changes to the retail space to overcome barriers and support further adoption were; simplify and make system more intuitive to use, more partnerships and alliances with other smart technology developers, increase smartness of products, technologies and systems, ensure interactive information is available at point of sale, train staff on Home Smart range, ensure Home Smart areas are properly staffed to support customers, consider Home Smart advisory service in store and at customers' home, technology must at all time work as intended, improve cleanliness in Home Smart area, and Furnishing in Home Smart area must match local preferences. To support further adoption of smart technologies for the home, retailers must understand what influences potential customers’ store experience and hence purchase decisions. The learnings from this thesis can be used to adjust the retail space to support this journey towards accelerated novel technology adoption in a retail space.