Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective

Marketta Niemelä; Päivi Heikkilä; Hanna Lammi; Virpi Oksman

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48

Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective

Marketta Niemelä, Päivi Heikkilä, Hanna Lammi, Virpi Oksman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Social service robots are gradually entering into shopping malls to provide guidance and information services to the consumer customers. Earlier literature has reported that usually consumers response positively to these robots. Less is known about how do retailers and other business actors in the shopping mall perceive the robots. We present results of an interview study carried out with eight retailers and other service providers in a shopping mall, and three shopping mall managers. The results provide insight into their views about potential application roles of social service robot in the mall: what kind of services the robot could provide to customers besides guiding and information providing, and what kind of opportunities, requirements and constraints a shopping mall sets as a business environment for robot developers and service providers. The capability of the robot to emotionally engage with the customers was seen highly potential in shopping business but balancing entertainment with utility functions is crucial. A Pepper robot was used as a demonstrative platform in the study.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Social Robotics
Subtitle of host publication	9th International Conference, ICSR 2017
Editors	Abderrahmane Kheddar, Eiichi Yoshida, Shuzhi Sam Ge, Kenji Suzuki, John-John Cabibihan, Friederike Eyssel, Hongsheng He
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer
Pages	485-494
ISBN (Print)	78-3-319-70021-2, 978-3-319-70022-9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2017
MoE publication type	A4 Article in a conference publication
Event	9th International Conference on Social Robotics, ICSR 2017 - Tsukuba, Japan Duration: 22 Nov 2017 → 24 Nov 2017 http://www.icsr2017.org/index.html

Publication series

Series	Lecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume	10652
ISSN	0302-9743

Conference

Conference	9th International Conference on Social Robotics, ICSR 2017
Abbreviated title	ICSR 2017
Country/Territory	Japan
City	Tsukuba
Period	22/11/17 → 24/11/17
Internet address	http://www.icsr2017.org/index.html

Keywords

shopping mall robots
retailers
shopping mall managers
business perspective
social robots
Pepper

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48

Cite this

Niemelä, M., Heikkilä, P., Lammi, H., & Oksman, V. (2017). Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective. In A. Kheddar, E. Yoshida, S. S. Ge, K. Suzuki, J-J. Cabibihan, F. Eyssel, & H. He (Eds.), Social Robotics: 9th International Conference, ICSR 2017 (pp. 485-494). Springer. Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol. 10652 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48

Niemelä, Marketta ; Heikkilä, Päivi ; Lammi, Hanna et al. / Shopping Mall Robots : Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective. Social Robotics: 9th International Conference, ICSR 2017. editor / Abderrahmane Kheddar ; Eiichi Yoshida ; Shuzhi Sam Ge ; Kenji Suzuki ; John-John Cabibihan ; Friederike Eyssel ; Hongsheng He. Cham : Springer, 2017. pp. 485-494 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 10652).

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abstract = "Social service robots are gradually entering into shopping malls to provide guidance and information services to the consumer customers. Earlier literature has reported that usually consumers response positively to these robots. Less is known about how do retailers and other business actors in the shopping mall perceive the robots. We present results of an interview study carried out with eight retailers and other service providers in a shopping mall, and three shopping mall managers. The results provide insight into their views about potential application roles of social service robot in the mall: what kind of services the robot could provide to customers besides guiding and information providing, and what kind of opportunities, requirements and constraints a shopping mall sets as a business environment for robot developers and service providers. The capability of the robot to emotionally engage with the customers was seen highly potential in shopping business but balancing entertainment with utility functions is crucial. A Pepper robot was used as a demonstrative platform in the study.",

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Niemelä, M, Heikkilä, P , Lammi, H & Oksman, V 2017, Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective. in A Kheddar, E Yoshida, SS Ge, K Suzuki, J-J Cabibihan, F Eyssel & H He (eds), Social Robotics: 9th International Conference, ICSR 2017. Springer, Cham, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 10652, pp. 485-494, 9th International Conference on Social Robotics, ICSR 2017, Tsukuba, Japan, 22/11/17. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48

Shopping Mall Robots : Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective. / Niemelä, Marketta; Heikkilä, Päivi ; Lammi, Hanna et al.

Social Robotics: 9th International Conference, ICSR 2017. ed. / Abderrahmane Kheddar; Eiichi Yoshida; Shuzhi Sam Ge; Kenji Suzuki; John-John Cabibihan; Friederike Eyssel; Hongsheng He. Cham : Springer, 2017. p. 485-494 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 10652).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

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AU - Heikkilä, Päivi

AU - Lammi, Hanna

AU - Oksman, Virpi

N1 - SDA: MIP: Design for Life Project code: 105923

PY - 2017/1/1

Y1 - 2017/1/1

N2 - Social service robots are gradually entering into shopping malls to provide guidance and information services to the consumer customers. Earlier literature has reported that usually consumers response positively to these robots. Less is known about how do retailers and other business actors in the shopping mall perceive the robots. We present results of an interview study carried out with eight retailers and other service providers in a shopping mall, and three shopping mall managers. The results provide insight into their views about potential application roles of social service robot in the mall: what kind of services the robot could provide to customers besides guiding and information providing, and what kind of opportunities, requirements and constraints a shopping mall sets as a business environment for robot developers and service providers. The capability of the robot to emotionally engage with the customers was seen highly potential in shopping business but balancing entertainment with utility functions is crucial. A Pepper robot was used as a demonstrative platform in the study.

AB - Social service robots are gradually entering into shopping malls to provide guidance and information services to the consumer customers. Earlier literature has reported that usually consumers response positively to these robots. Less is known about how do retailers and other business actors in the shopping mall perceive the robots. We present results of an interview study carried out with eight retailers and other service providers in a shopping mall, and three shopping mall managers. The results provide insight into their views about potential application roles of social service robot in the mall: what kind of services the robot could provide to customers besides guiding and information providing, and what kind of opportunities, requirements and constraints a shopping mall sets as a business environment for robot developers and service providers. The capability of the robot to emotionally engage with the customers was seen highly potential in shopping business but balancing entertainment with utility functions is crucial. A Pepper robot was used as a demonstrative platform in the study.

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PB - Springer

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ER -

Niemelä M, Heikkilä P , Lammi H , Oksman V. Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective. In Kheddar A, Yoshida E, Ge SS, Suzuki K, Cabibihan J-J, Eyssel F, He H, editors, Social Robotics: 9th International Conference, ICSR 2017. Cham: Springer. 2017. p. 485-494. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 10652). doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_48

Shopping Mall Robots: Opportunities and Constraints from the Retailer and Manager Perspective

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