Exploring the Impact of Technology Readiness and Innovation Resistance on User Adoption of Autonomous Delivery Vehicles.

AbstractAdvancements in technology have made autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) a feasible option for “last-mile” delivery, improving logistic efficiency in the global digital age. The promotion and popularization of ADVs must be based on widespread user acceptance. This study combines the technology readiness theory and innovation resistance theory to construct a research model to explore the key factors influencing users’ use and recommendation of ADVs. We collected 349 valid samples through a questionnaire survey and used partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to validate the model. The results showed that (1) positive technology readiness reduces users’ perceptions of value barrier, tradition barrier, and image barrier, while negative technology readiness increases users’ perceptions of the five categories of innovation barriers: usage barrier, value barrier, risk barrier, tradition barrier, and image barrier; (2) users’ intention to use and recommend ADVs is negatively affected by the usage, value, and tradition barriers; (3) users of different genders have varying perceptions of the relationship between technology readiness, barrier factors, and the decision to use ADVs. This study reveals the influencing factors that hinder users from using and recommending ADVs and their functioning mechanisms from the perspective of barriers and examines the impact of gender differences between males and females. The study enriches the empirical research in ADVs, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for logistics companies and the government to develop autonomous delivery technology and publicize and promote ADVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]