The Use of Smart Lockers in China’s Smart Villages Construction: Expanding UTAUT With Price Value and Technical Anxiety

Abstract

With the rapid development of e-commerce, Online shopping has not only brought convenience to people’s lives, but also accelerated the explosion of express delivery. As a device that provides 24-hr self-service pickup and delivery services, smart lockers are increasingly accepted by more and more express delivery companies and consumers. However, in rural China, there are few outlets and low usage rates for express delivery cabinets. Especially for the elderly, the use and acceptance of smart lockers are significantly lower. Therefore, how to improve the usage intention of intelligent express delivery cabinets has become a problem that needs to be solved in the development process of smart rural areas. This study develops a theoretical model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and conducts empirical testing to determine the key factors affecting the willingness of rural Chinese consumers to use smart lockers. This study used a questionnaire survey method to collect data, and a total of 240 valid questionnaires were collected. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used to measure and test the research hypotheses. The results indicate that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, price value and technology anxiety have a positive impact on consumers’ intention to use. There is no significant relationship between effort expectancy and social influence and users’ behavioral intention to use smart lockers. The results of this study will help enrich UTAUT, provide valuable information for enterprises, and contribute to the implementation of smart villages strategies.