Earticle

초록

영어

This study aims to understand the role of digital technology empowerment in shaping the dynamic relationship between value co-creation and“shadow work” in unmanned retail environments. As an emerging business model, unmanned retail leverages advanced digital technologies to automate and streamline the shopping process, providing consumers with a convenient and efficient shopping experiences [16, 18]. However, while digital empowerment introduces innovation and operational efficiency, it also raises significant theoretical and practical challenges related to consumer participation and labor dynamics [6, 7]. This research emphasizes the core concept of value co-creation, highlighting the collaborative interaction between consumers and businesses to create mutual value [12, 13]. In the context of unmanned retail, digital technology facilitates deeper consumer involvement in value co-creation through mechanisms such as self-checkout systems and intelligent recommendations [3, 6, 14]. Yet, this increased consumer engagement often leads to a form of unrecognized labor termed “ shadow work,” where consumers perform tasks that benefit the business without compensation or formal recognition [4, 8, 9]. Despite the potential for value co-creation, the emergence of shadow work raises important questions about consumer rights and the recognition of labor in digital environments [1, 10, 11, 17]. To address these challenges, the study adopts the Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) framework, which views service as the core component of economic exchange and emphasizes the interdependent relationship between businesses and consumers [2, 5, 16, 17]. From this perspective, digital technology empowerment not only enhances service quality and efficiency but plays a crucial role in driving the interaction between value co-creation and shadow work [15]. This paper employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, focusing on the four key areas: 1. Analyzing the Impact of Digital Technology Empowerment: Understanding how various digital tools influence the interaction between value co-creation and shadow work, particularly how the introduction of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and user-friendly interfaces enhances consumer participation while potentially leading to shadow work scenarios. 2. Investigating Shadow Work: Delving into the manifestations and contributions of shadow work in unmanned retail settings, analyzing specific tasks that consumers undertake without formal recognition, such as managing inventory via self-service kiosks or participating in feedback loops through review systems, and exploring the implications of this unrecognized labor on consumer satisfaction and loyalty. 3. Identifying Challenges: Addressing the complex challenges associated with labor value recognition and rights protection within the unmanned retail context, evaluating existing frameworks for consumer protection in digital environments, and proposing enhancements that accommodate the unique nature of shadow work. 4. Proposing Optimization Strategies: Recommending strategies to optimize the relationship between value co-creation and shadow work, assisting businesses in enhancing user experience while ensuring that consumers feel valued and recognized for their contributions. This article adopts a comprehensive mixed-methods design, integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the dynamic relationship between digital technology empowerment, consumer participation, and shadow work in unmanned retail environments. Initially, the research plans to employ qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and observation, to recruit participants and gain a nuanced understanding of their behaviors and experiences during the shopping process. It is anticipated that this approach will reveal how consumers engage in value co-creation in a technology-driven environment, finding out a variety of forms of unrecognized labor. In the quantitative phase, the study plans to conduct a survey involving approximately 150 to 200 consumers who have previously shopped in unmanned retail environments, ensuring scientific rigor and reliability of the results. This sample size adequately considers the diversity of consumer behavior, statistical power, and the potential for reducing sampling bias, while employing structured questionnaires to ensure data validity and consistency. The collected data is expected to be analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), a widely utilized statistical method for exploring complex causal relationships. This research will validate whether the embedding of digital technologies (such as self-checkout and intelligent recommendations) has a significant positive impact on consumer engagement. Furthermore, it will examine whether this enhanced engagement may concurrently accompany the phenomenon of “shadow work,” wherein consumers perform certain tasks for businesses without formal recognition or compensation. Additionally, the study intends to investigate whether significant differences exist in participation patterns and labor recognition responses between light and heavy users, providing new insights into the diversity of consumer behavior in unmanned retail environments. In summary, this study aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation for understanding the complexities of consumer behavior in unmanned retail environments while offering significant practical implications for unmanned retail strategy, consumer participation, and experience design. Based on the role of digital technology empowerment, this research is expected to contribute to the formulation of effective strategies that promote consumer participation, thereby enhancing consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Via an analysis of consumer behavior, this study not only offers substantive recommendations for advancing the sustainable development of the unmanned retail industry but also provides robust theoretical support for related enterprises in optimizing customer experience strategies. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research enable to ensure that consumers ’ labor and contributions in the digital environment receive appropriate recognition and acknowledgment, fostering fairer business practices and a healthy development of the digital economy. This research not only enriches existing academic discourse but offers practical guidance for policymakers and industry practitioners, aiding in the construction of a more inclusive and equitable digital economic system.

목차

Extended Abstract
References

저자

• Tingting Liu [ Interdisciplinary Program of Digital Future Convergence Service, Chonnam National University ]
• Joon Koh [ Business Administration, Chonnam National University ]

참고문헌