Anecdotal evidence is mixed regarding whether handheld scanners used in stores increase or decrease consumer sales. This article reports on three field studies, supported by eye-tracking technology and matched sales receipts, as well as two laboratory studies that show that handheld scanner use increases sales, notably through unplanned, healthier, and impulsive purchases. The findings highlight that these effects may be limited by factors such as not having a budget; for those without a budget, use of scanners can decrease sales. Building on embodied cognition and cognitive appraisal theories, the authors predict that scanners, as a bodily extension, influence sales through both cognitive (shelf attention, perceived control) and affective (number of products touched, shopping experience) mechanisms. The results offer implications for retailers considering whether to integrate scanners into their store environments.
AilawadiKusum L.MaYuGrewalDhruv (2018), “The Club Store Effect: Impact of Shopping in Warehouse Club Stores on Consumers’ Packaged Food Purchases,” Journal of Marketing Research, 55 (2), 199–207.
2.
AjzenIcekFishbeinMartin (1977), “Attitude-Behavior Relations: A Theoretical Analysis and Review of Empirical Research,” Psychological Bulletin, 84 (5), 888–918.
3.
ArgoJenniferDahlDarren W.MoralesAndrea C. (2006), “Consumer Contamination: How Consumers React to Products Touched by Others,” Journal of Marketing, 70 (2), 81–94.
4.
BabinBarry J.DardenWilliam R.GriffinMitch (1994), “Work and/or Fun: Measuring Hedonic and Utilitarian Shopping Value,” Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (4), 644–56.
5.
BarsalouLarry W. (1999), “Perceptual Symbol Systems,” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22 (4), 577–660.
6.
BarsalouLarry W. (2008), “Grounded Cognition,” Annual Review of Psychology, 59 (1), 617–45.
7.
BriñolPabloPettyRichard E. (2008), “Embodied Persuasion,” in Embodied Grounding: Social, Cognitive, Affective, and Neuroscientific Approaches, SeminGun R.SmithEliot R., eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 184–207.
8.
BurkeRaymond R. (2002), “Technology and the Customer Interface: What Consumers Want in the Physical and Virtual Store,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30 (4), 411–32.
DabholkarPratibha (1994), “Incorporating Choice into an Attitudinal Framework: Analyzing Models of Mental Comparison Processes,” Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (1), 100–118.
11.
DabholkarPratibha A. (1996), “Consumer Evaluations of New Technology Based Self-Service Options: An Investigation of Alternative Models of Service Quality,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13 (1), 29–51.
12.
DominiciGandolfoMatićMateaAbbateTindaraFattaDavide Di (2016), “Consumer Attitude Toward Using Smart Shopping Carts: A Comparative Analysis of Italian and Croatian Consumer Attitudes,” International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 7 (3), 229–44.
13.
DuaneAidanO’ReillyPhilipAndreevPavel (2014), “Realising M-Payments: Modelling Consumers’ Willingness to M-Pay Using Smart Phones,” Behaviour & Information Technology33 (4), 318–34.
14.
EelenJiskaDewitteSiegfriedWarlopLuk (2013), “Situation Embodied Cognition: Monitoring Orientation Cues Affects Product Evaluation and Choice,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23 (4), 424–33.
15.
EllsworthPhoebe C.SmithCraig A. (1988), “From Appraisal to Emotion: Differences Among Unpleasant Feelings,” Motivation and Emotion, 12 (3), 271–302.
16.
ErogluSegin A.MachleitKaren A. (1990), “An Empirical Study of Retail Crowding: Antecedents and Consequences,” Journal of Retailing, 66 (2), 201–21.
17.
EsmarkCarolNobleStephanie M. (2018), “Retail Space Invaders: When Employees’ Invasion of Customer Space Increases Purchase Intentions,” Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 46 (3), 477–96.
18.
EvanschitzkyHeinerIyerGopalkrishnan R.PillaiKishore GopalakrishnaKenningPeterSchütteReinhard (2015), “Consumer Trial, Continuous Use, and Economic Benefits of a Retail Service Innovation: The Case of the Personal Shopping Assistant,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32 (3), 459–75.
GlenbergArthur M.HavasDavidBeckerRaymondRinckMike (2005), “Grounding Language in Bodily States: The Case for Emotion,” in Grounded Cognition: The Role of Perception and Action in Memory, Language and Thinking, PecherDianeZwaanRolf A. eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 115–28.
21.
GoodsteinRonald C. (1994), “UPC Scanner Pricing Systems: Are They Accurate?” Journal of Marketing, 58 (2), 20–30.
22.
GrewalDhruvAhlbomCarl-PhilipBeitelspacherLaurenNobleStephanie M.NordfältJens (2018), “In-Store Mobile Phone Use and Customer Shopping Behavior: Evidence from the Field,” Journal of Marketing, 82 (4), 102–26.
23.
AndersGustafssonJohnsonMichael D.RoosInger (2005), “The Effects of Customer Satisfaction, Relationship Commitment Dimensions, and Triggers on Customer Retention,” Journal of Marketing, 69 (4), 210–18.
HayesAndrew F. (2018), Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis. New York: Guildford Press.
26.
HeathChipSollJack B. (1996), “Mental Budgeting and consumer Decisions,” Journal of Consumer Research, 23 (1), 40–52.
27.
HeilmanM. CarrieNakamotoKentRaoAmbar G. (2002), “Pleasant Surprises: Consumer Response to Unexpected In-Store Coupons,” Journal of Marketing Research, 39 (2), 242–52.
28.
HirschmanElizabeth C. (1983), “Predictors of Self-Projection, Fantasy Fulfillment, and Escapism,” Journal of Social Psychology, 120 (1), 63–76.
29.
HochStephen J.LoewensteinGeorge F. (1991), “Time-Inconsistent Preferences and Consumer Self-Control,” Journal of Consumer Research, 17 (4), 492–507.
30.
HolbrookMorris B.HirschmanElizabeth C. (1982), “The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun,” Journal of Consumer Research, 9 (2), 132–40.
31.
HuiMichael K.BatesonJohn E.G. (1991). “Perceived Control and the Effect of Crowding and Consumer Choice on the Service Experience,” Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (2), 174–84.
32.
KowatschTobiasMaassWolfgang (2010), “In-Store Consumer Behavior: How Mobile Recommendation Agents Influence Usage Intentions, Product Purchases, and Store Preferences,” Computers in Human Behavior, 26 (4), 697–704.
33.
KühnenUlrichOysermanDaphna (2002), “Thinking About the Self Influences Thinking in General: Cognitive Consequences of Salient Self-Concept,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38 (5), 492–99.
LangeardEricBatesonJohn E.G.LovelockChristopher H.EiglierPierre (1981), Services Marketing: New Insights from Consumers and Managers. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute.
MathwickCharlaMalhotraNaresh K.RigdonEdward (2001), “Experiential Value: Conceptualization, Measurement and Application in the Catalog and Internet Shopping Environment,” Journal of Retailing, 77 (1), 39–56.
MehrabianAlbertRussellJames A. (1974), An Approach to Environmental Psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
42.
MeuterMatthew L.OstromAmy L.RoundtreeRobert I.BitnerMary Jo (2000), “Self-Service Technologies: Understanding Customer Satisfaction with Technology-Based Service Encounters,” Journal of Marketing, 64 (3), 50–64.
43.
MillsPeter K.MorrisJames H. (1986), “Clients as ‘Partial’ Employees of Service Organizations: Role Development in Client Participation,” Academy of Management Review, 11 (4), 726–35.
44.
MongaAlokparna BasuJohnDeborah Roedder (2007), “Cultural Differences in Brand Extension Evaluation: The Influence of Analytic Versus Holistic Thinking,” Journal of Consumer Research, 33 (4), 529–36.
45.
MontinariNataliaRunnemarkEmmaWengströmErik (2017), “Self-Scanning and Self-Control: A Field Experiment on Real-Time Feedback and Shopping Behavior,” working paper, Università di Bologna, http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/unibo/amsacta/5743.
46.
NiedenthalPaula M.BarsalouLawrence W.WinkielmanPiotrKrauth-GruberSilviaRicFrancois (2005), “Embodiment in Attitudes, Social Perception, and Emotion,” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9 (3), 184–211.
ParkC. WhanIyerEaswar S.SmithDaniel C. (1989), “The Effects of Situational Factors on In-Store Grocery Shopping Behavior: The Role of Store Environment and Time Available for Shopping,” Journal of Consumer Research, 15 (4), 422–33.
49.
PeckJoannShuSuzanne B. (2009), “The Effect of Mere Touch on Perceived Ownership,” Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (3), 434–47.
50.
ReindersMachiel J.DabholkarPratibha A.FrambachRudd T. (2008), “Consequences of Forcing Consumers to Use Technology-Based Self-Service,” Journal of Service Research, 11 (2), 107–23.
51.
RookDennisFisherRobert (1995), “Normative Influences on Impulsive Buying Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 22 (3), 305–13.
52.
SmithCraig A.EllsworthPhoebe C. (1985), “Patterns of Cognitive Appraisal in Emotion,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48 (4), 813–38.
53.
SpenceCharlesPuccinelliNancy M.GrewalDhruvRoggeveenAnne L. (2014), “Store Atmospherics: A Multisensory Perspective,” Psychology & Marketing, 31 (7), 472–88.
54.
StilleyKaren M. J.InmanJeffreyWakefieldKirk L. (2010), “Planning to Make Unplanned Purchases? The Role of In-Store Slack in Budget Deviation,” Journal of Consumer Research, 37 (2), 264–78.
55.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019), “Consumer Expenditure Surveys,” (accessed October 28, 2019), https://www.bls.gov/cex/.
56.
Van IttersumKoertPenningsJoost M.WansinkBrian (2010), “Trying Harder and Doing Worse: How Grocery Shoppers Track In-Store Spending.” Journal of Marketing, 74 (2), 90–104.
57.
Van IttersumKoertWansinkBrianPenningsJoost M.E.SheehanDaniel (2013), “Smart Shopping Carts: How Real-Time Feedback Influences Spending,” Journal of Marketing, 77 (6), 21–36.
58.
VarelaFrancisco J.ThompsonEvanRoschEleanor (1991), The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
59.
VuegenMayaBraakAnne TerLarneyLienAilawadiKusum L. (2019), “How Mobile Self-Scanning Use Influences Consumers’ Grocery Purchases,” Marketing Science Institute Report. Cambridge, UK: Marketing Science Institute.
60.
WangChengHarrisJenniferPattersonPaul (2013), “The Roles of Habit, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction in Driving Continued Use of Self-Service Technologies: A Longitudinal Study,” Journal of Service Research, 16 (3), 400–414.
61.
WeijtersBertRangarajanDevarajanFalkTomasSchillewaertNiels (2007), “Determinants and Outcomes of Customers’ Use of Self-Service Technology in a Retail Setting,” Journal of Service Research, 10 (1), 3–21.
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
