CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD UNMANNED CONVENIENCE STORES IN THAILAND: APPLYING THE YONISOMANASIKARA APPROACH

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Unmanned convenience stores represent an emerging retail innovation that integrates artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and automated payment systems to deliver cashierless shopping experiences. Although these formats have expanded rapidly in technologically advanced economies, consumer acceptance remains uneven due to concerns related to trust, privacy, system reliability, and the absence of human interaction. Previous studies have predominantly examined these issues through functional and instrumental perspectives, often overlooking reflective, ethical, and culturally embedded dimensions  of consumer decision-making. In particular, technology acceptance research grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has emphasized perceived usefulness and trust while  paying comparatively limited attention to culturally informed reflective reasoning. In Thailand, unmanned convenience stores are still at an early stage of diffusion, and empirical research on consumer attitudes toward this retail format remains limited. Given Thailand's strong Buddhist cultural context, understanding technology acceptance through reflective and mindful evaluation is particularly relevant. Accordingly, this study pursued multiple interrelated objectives. First, it examined demographic and behavioral determinants of consumer attitudes toward unmanned convenience stores. Second, it analyzed perceived benefits (Assada) associated with unmanned retail systems. Third, it investigated perceived drawbacks (Adinava) and coping mechanisms (Nissarana) that influence consumer acceptance. Finally, it integrated the Yonisomanasikara reflective framework with established Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs to assess its incremental explanatory power.

Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 396 consumers in Chonburi Province, Thailand, using a multi-stage sampling technique to capture urban, suburban, and tourism-related consumer segments. A structured questionnaire measured demographic characteristics, shopping behavior, TAM constructs (Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, Perceived Risk, Trust, and Attitude), and the three dimensions of Yonisomanasikara: Asada (Benefits), adinava (Drawbacks), and nissarana (Coping or Resolution). Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to compare a baseline TAM model with an extended integrative model incorporating reflective cognition.

Main Results: The results indicated generally positive consumer attitudes toward unmanned convenience stores. While perceived usefulness and trust significantly predicted attitudes in the baseline TAM model, hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the inclusion of Yonisomanasikara constructs significantly enhanced explanatory power. Most notably, nissarana emerged as the strongest predictor of consumer attitude, suggesting that acceptance was shaped not merely by recognizing benefits or minimizing risks, but by the ability to cognitively reconcile perceived drawbacks through reflective coping. Even when perceived risks and drawbacks were acknowledged, attitudes remained favorable when credible coping mechanisms were identified.

Involvement to Buddhadhamma: This study is positioned within Applied Buddhism. By empirically operationalizing Yonisomanasikara, a core Buddhist principle of wise reflection and analytical discernment, the research demonstrates how Buddhist cognitive training can inform contemporary technology acceptance behavior. The integration of Yonisomanasikara with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) positions Buddhist analytical reasoning as a reflective mechanism that shapes consumer evaluation beyond instrumental rationality. This applied approach illustrates the relevance of Buddhist principles in understanding modern digital retail systems and their implications for Buddhism and sustainable development.

Conclusions: The study concludes that reflective coping and resolution (Nissarana) constitute the most critical determinant of Thai consumers' attitudes toward unmanned convenience stores. Demographic characteristics exert comparatively limited influence, reinforcing the argument that acceptance is shaped more by reflective cognitive processing than by static personal attributes. Integrating Yonisomanasikara with TAM provides a culturally sensitive and ethically grounded framework that explains consumer acceptance as a process of mindful evaluation rather than uncritical adoption. The findings contribute to Buddhist-informed consumer research and offer guidance for designing unmanned retail systems that foster trust, transparency, and responsible engagement.