The retail industry is a competitive environment moving towards being rather service-oriented than product-oriented. It is hence essential for businesses to comprehend the market and act accordingly to differentiate themselves. A way of gaining competitive advantage and engage consumers is to invest in innovative technology. Self-scanning services are a fast-improving technology offering consumers a convenient way of shopping. To self-scan through scanners and via self-checkout cashiers are common on the Swedish food retail market. The retailing group ICA is however unique in the sense that they since 2014 additionally offer mobile self-scanning through their smartphone application “ICA Handla”[1]. Despite the increasing use of self-scanning services, there is a lack of research on this area. Thus it is of interest to further investigate the views regarding self-scanning. An interesting concept is ‘Service Fascination’, which is defined as a positive emotional state arising through conscious and subconscious effects when using innovative technology. By reviewing ‘Service Fascination’, it is possible to investigate how innovative technology is adopted. The thesis hence proves to what extent Service Fascination can be measured regarding self-scanning services using the Service Fascination Evaluation Model (SFEM). Based on the model, the essay suggests areas of improvement within ‘Service Fascination’ and depicts the views on self-scanning from the perspectives of consumers, retailers and experts. Tailored communication regarding self-scanning, depending on if the receiver is a non-user, a user or a retailer, is suggested to be further elaborated on. The quality of the self-scanning equipment and the appearance/features are moreover also key conclusions which are proposed to be further developed. Self-scanning services used in the right way are by the thesis' results argued to be a useful tool to differentiate on the Swedish food retail market. [1]http://www.ica.se/appar/ica-handla/ / Livsmedelsdetaljhandeln är en konkurrenskraftig marknad som rör sig mot ett serviceinriktat klimat där upplevelser väger tyngre än produkter. Det är således viktigt för företag att förstå marknaden och anpassa sig för att särskilja sig. Ett sätt att uppnå konkurrensfördel och på samma gång engagera kunder är att investera i innovativ teknik.  Självscanningstjänster är en snabbt växande teknik som erbjuder kunder ett bekvämt sätt att handla. Idag är det vanligt förekommande med självscanning genom scanners och “snabbkassor” på den svenska livsmedelsmarknaden. Detaljhandelsföretaget ICA är dock unika med sin tjänst att självscanna via mobiltelefonen med hjälp av “ICA Handla”-appen[1] som lanserades 2014. Trots den ökande användningen av självscanningstjänster finns det ett behov av mer forskning på området. Således är det av intresse att vidare undersöka synen på självscanning. Ett intressant begrepp är ”Service Fascination”, ett positivt känslotillstånd som uppkommer genom medveten och omedveten användning av innovativ teknik. Genom att studera ”Service Fascination” är det möjligt att undersöka hur innovativ teknik anammas. Uppsatsen visar därför till vilken grad Service Fascination kan mätas (gällande självscanning) med hjälp av “Service Fascination Evaluation”-modellen (SFEM). Baserat på modellen föreslår uppsatsen utvecklingspotential inom området Service Fascination och illustrerar synen på självscanning från kunders, ICA-handlares och experters perspektiv.  Slutsatser som är föreslagna att arbeta vidare med är skräddarsydd kommunikation beroende på om mottagaren är en icke-användare, användare eller ICA-handlare. Kvaliteten på utrustningen och självscanningsenheters utseende/funktioner föreslås också att vidareutvecklas. Uppsatsens resultat motiverar för att självscanning som används på rätt sätt är ett användbart verktyg för att skapa konkurrensfördel på den svenska livsmedelsmarknaden. [1]http://www.ica.se/appar/ica-handla/

Service delivery in the twenty-first generation is evolving into more digital forms expanding the consumers' experience and engaging in new forms of communications to consumers through these digital forms. Despite the initiation of self- service technology being widely accepted by consumers within the retail banking industry, the supermarket retail industry has yet to experience the same form of reception and implementation of the self- service technologies (SST). South Africa, being a developing country, any conventions that lead to the country’s progression should be embraced. Thus, the introduction of SST within retail is assumed to enhance consumer's experiences, these technologies open the prospects to generate possibilities for producing new services and enhancing efficiency.The study aimed at evaluating factors of perception through the employment of a conceptualized framework from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). An understanding of why SSTs in retail have not been widely implemented would respond to the challenges associated with the adoption of SSTs from a consumer’s perspective. The findings, from a questionnaire survey posed, revealed that there is a high expression on the intention of using the technologies should the opportunity presents itself. Most of the participants exhibited a high familiarity with the self-service technologies, online purchasing, and self- check- out services, thus the measure of intent resulted in a high margin.

Traditional retail with personal service is becoming scarce. The personal interaction is replaced with self service alternatives, and the consumer is now seen as a co-service producer. What is the general attitude towards the service provided within these automated experiences? Is the automated experience of service comparable to the traditional service that is expected from the customer, or is the industry moving too fast, risking the exclusion of certain consumer groups in the quest for automation? This study conducted semi-structured interviews with a broad range of consumers and used thematic analysis in an effort to discover consumers' unique motivations in regards to self service alternatives in physical stores. The result showed that most consumers are satisfied as long as the service works as intended. But when problems arise, many of the respondents point out the lack of standardization, human support, long waiting times, and control within the user interface. Findings in this study contribute to the industry by identifying traits within the technology viewed by the consumer as enablers or disablers.

Self-service technologies (SSTs) have grown rapidly and aim to help customers self-serve. Self-service can be facilitated through help centers, which offers information and support. As the demand for on-going support continues to rise, it is important with continuous research of how to assist help centers to match the affordances of current technology to customers’ needs while providing a good User Experience (UX). Therefore, this study investigates how UX design can be used to improve help centers as a tool for self-service for different stakeholders. This study was in collaboration with Nasdaq, where the users’ needs, expectations and concerns when looking for help to use Nasdaq’s products were identified. In an evaluation, the main features of help center’s that influenced users experience and encouraged their use of the technology were measured by a theoretical lens of a revised version of a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results of this study declare that the major significance in establishing a successful help center lies in ensuring easy accessibility to information through a search function and a well-organized side navigation. Additionally, incorporating a training and getting started page with a combination of videos and text are crucial for advanced products. / Självbetjäningsteknologier (SST) har vuxit snabbt och syftar till att assistera kunder att hjälpa sig själv. Självbetjäning kan underlättas genom ett hjälpcenter, vilket erbjuder information och support. Eftersom efterfrågan på ständig support fortsätter att öka är det viktigt med kontinuerlig forskning om hur man kan skapa hjälpcenter som matchar den nuvarande teknikens möjligheter till kundernas behov samtidigt som man tillhandahåller en bra användarupplevelse (UX). Därför undersöker denna studie hur UX design kan användas för att förbättra hjälpcenter som ett verktyg för självbetjäning för olika intressenter. Denna studie gjordes i samarbete med Nasdaq, där användarnas behov, förväntningar och oro när de söker efter hjälp att använda Nasdaqs produkter identifierades. I en utvärdering mättes huvudfunktionerna i ett hjälpcenter som påverkade användarnas upplevelse och uppmuntrade deras användning av tekniken genom en teoretisk lins bestående av en reviderad version av Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Resultaten av denna studie visar att det viktigaste för att etablera ett framgångsrikt hjälpcenter ligger i att säkerställa lättillgänglighet till information genom en sökfunktion och en välorganiserad sidnavigering. Dessutom är det avgörande för avancerade produkter att införa en tränings- och komma igång-sida med en kombination av videor och text.

Recent studies on the Service-Dominant (S-D) logic perspective highlighted the importance of customer value. In this perspective, value is seen to be created, determined, and perceived by the customer through use or `value-in-use', which directly highlights the importance of customer participation in the service delivery process. This study used the Vargo and Lusch (2016) practice approach to understand how customers perceive the use of the self-checkout system and how value co-creation impacts the use of the self-checkout system in retail stores. This study carried out qualitative research on a retail store in Sweden, and data was collected using a semi-structured structured interview. The thematic approach was used to identify, analyze, and report patterns within the data. The data were further categorized into four themes – Convenience, Need for Communication, Cooperation, and Intention to Co-create. The result highlighted the factors influencing customer perception and intention toward the self-checkout system. The study further showed that customer’s intention to co-create is recognized as an effective practice in SST, and customer co-creation intention in SST is essential in determining their co-creation practices  Overall, this study showed that customer perceived value is determined by customer participation.

The progress in the field of technology is often described as massive and its development has had a great impact on the social development (Vetenskapsrådet, 2012). As a result of the digital evolution, there has been a change in the way customer and company interact (Normann, 2011). The traditional way for players to interact with each other required an interaction human to human (ibid), a mode of interaction that now can be replaced or supplemented by todays technology and often Internet-based solutions (Salomonson et al., 2013). These technological solutions, the technical interaction, are often referred to as self-service systems. These systems enables the customer to carry out the tasks previously performed by the company (Hilton and Hughes, 2013). A growing number of Swedish companies are implementing these self-service solutions, particularly in matters relating to telephony and mobility, in order to complement or replace existing support (Gustafsson, 2012). Earlier research shows that both companies and customers can benefit from the implementation of self-service systems, however there are other contributions to the field of research that paradoxically advocates that the meeting in person, the human interaction is important for the competitiveness of a company (Normann, 2011). The purpose of this thesis is to create an understanding about how customer value is created in the interaction between customers and companies in both human and technological interaction. As data collection method, this study has applied qualitative interviews in order to enhance understanding of existing phenomena. In order to help analyse the study’s results the thesis theoretical framework consists of theories concerning services, interaction, value creation, service logic and service quality linked to the discipline service management. The results of the study indicate that the creation of customer value in the interaction between customer and company occurs in the same way in human interaction and technological interaction. The factors that create customer value are expressed in different ways by human and technological interaction.

Syfte - Syftet med studien är att i restaurangbranschen undersöka om service med integrerad självserviceteknologi medför en högre eller lägre kundnöjdhet jämfört med service utan integrerad självserviceteknologi. Hypotes - I restaurangbranschen medför service med integrerad själv-serviceteknologi en högre kundnöjdhet än service utan självserviceteknologi. Metod - Studien utgår från en tvärsnittsdesign med deduktiv ansats där sekundär- och primärdata består av tidigare forskning, teorier och enkäter. Analysen av den kvantitativa enkätdatan genomfördes med hjälp av Mann Whitney U-test och Spearmans rang-korrelation. Resultat - Studiens resultat visade att i restaurangbranschen medför service med integrerad självserviceteknologi en högre kundnöjdhet än service utan integrerad självserviceteknologi. Avgränsningar - Studien avgränsar sig till att granska kundnöjdheten i service-processer med mobilapplikationsbaserad självserviceteknologi och inte någon annan teknologi. Kunskapsbidrag - Skapa underlag för ledningar i restaurangbranschen om huruvida de borde ta hänsyn till digitaliseringen eller inte samt om de borde förändra sin strategi gällande serviceprocessen / Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine whether the service process with integrated self-service technology in the restaurant industry entails a higher or lower customer satisfaction than service without integrated self-service technology. Hypothesis - Service with integrated self-service technology in the restaurant industry entails a higher customer satisfaction than service without integrated self-service technology. Methodology - Secondary research and quantitative surveys were used to answer the research question. The study has a cross-sectional design and a deductive approach, where the analysis was conducted through a Mann Whitney U-test and Spearman’s rank correlation. Findings - The results of the study found that, in the restaurant industry, service with integrated self-service technology entails a higher level of customer satisfaction than service without integrated self-service technology. Limitations - The study examines the level of customer satisfaction in services with integrated mobile applications and no other self-service technology. Originality/Value - The study creates a basis for the leading positions in the restaurant industry about whether they should take into account the digitalization or not and if they should change their strategy regarding the service process.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationshipsbetween the customer value factors control, self-efficacy,independence and time efficiency when using self-servicetechnology. Through increased knowledge of theserelationships, service meetings with self-service technologycan be improved. This qualitative study examines a selfservice technology and collects empirical material throughobservations and semi-structured interviews. In order toobtain a theoretical basis, previous research on the currentrelationships has been investigated and compiled. Theresults of the study confirmed the developed conditionsfrom the theoretical basis and that they affect users'performance and satisfaction when interacting with selfservice technologies. In addition, the study generated newknowledge, a further relationship between self-efficacy andcontrol was found and that external factors such asexperience, environment and stress are importantcomponents that also have an impact on the use of selfservice technology. However, in future research it may benecessary to focus also on external factors to create a fairpicture of these relations but also additional customer valuefactors such as fun and availability. / Syftet med denna studie var att studera förhållanden mellankundvärdesfaktorerna kontroll, självförmåga,självständighet och tidseffektivitet vid användning avsjälvbetjäningssystem. Genom ökad kunskap om dessaförhållanden kan servicemöten med självbetjäningssystemförbättras. Denna kvalitativa undersökning undersöker ettsjälvbetjäningssystem och samlar in empiriskt materialgenom observationer och semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Föratt få en teoretisk grund har tidigare forskning kring deaktuella förhållandena undersökts och sammanställts.Resultatet ur studien bekräftade de framtagna förhållandenur den teoretiska grunden och att de påverkar användaresprestationer och tillfredsställelse vid interaktion medsjälvbetjäningssystem. Dessutom genererade studien i nykunskap i form av att ytterligare ett förhållande mellansjälvförmåga och kontroll framställdes samt att yttrefaktorer som vana, miljö och stress är viktiga beståndsdelarsom även dem har en inverkan på användningen avsjälvbetjäningssystem. I framtida forskning kan det dockvara nödvändigt att fokusera även på yttre faktorer för attskapa en rättvis bild av dessa förhållanden men ocksåytterligare kundvärdesfaktorer som nöje och tillgänglighet.

Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka hur telekomkunder användning av själv-serviceteknologi (SST) kan öka. Relevant litteratur som SST, teknologisk acceptans, user experience (UX), customer experience (CX) och servicedesign (SD) har identifierats och förankrat studien vetenskapligt. Baserat på syftet och den teoretiska grunden har en designstrategi skapats för att undersöka detta på ett relevant sätt på ett telekomföretag i Sverige. Studien har utgått från en formativ utvärdering där expertanvändares upplevelser av telekomkunder, kundservice och själv-serviceteknologi har studerats, för att kunna identifiera möjliga problem och förbättringsområden. Semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer har använts som datainsamlingsmetoden på grund av de förutsättningar som fanns för studien. Detta har i kombination med analysstrategierna har medverkat till identifieringen av kontextuella fynd som kan öka användning av SST för telekomföretagets kunder. Några av dessa fynd är att SST behöver vara standardiserad inom telekombranschen och att telekomföretaget kan öka användandet genom att informera sina kunder mer om möjligheterna med SST. I Studien har också faktorer som tyder på ett samband mellan områdena service, SST och telekomkunder identifierats, detta kan öka förståelsen för hur SST i denna kontext bör utvecklas och designas framöver.

Financial services institutions invest in self–service technologies for various reasons. These include the demands to rationalise costs and to meet the channel preferences of a „technology- savvy‟ client base. Some advantages of self–service technologies (“SSTs”) include the optimisation of staff activities and faster and improved customer services. Retail banks experience various migration-related costs when migrating customers to an SST environment; in terms of both branch infrastructure and the development of employee skills. Some customers continue to favour face-to-face service interactions, which necessitates an identification and evaluation of the necessary skills required by employees to facilitate this migration process. This study aims to both identify and classify the requisite skills needed by financial services professionals to enable them to migrate customers from physical to electronic service channels; including ATMs. With the appropriate training and competencies, employees can guide customers more effectively through the migration process in a non-judgemental way. This would, in turn, address the lack of self-service technology understanding among customers in the longer term. The lack of support from skilled service employees has, in many instances, led to customers paying higher transactional fees and experiencing inconvenience at physical channels, thereby resulting in overall lower self-service usage. / Business Management / DBL