In this paper, we report on a field study in which we employed two service robots in a bakery store as a sales promotion. Previous studies have explored public applications of service robots public such as shopping malls. However, more evidence is needed that service robots can contribute to sales in real stores. Moreover, the behaviors of customers and service robots in the context of sales promotions have not been examined well. Hence, the types of robot behavior that can be considered effective and the customers' responses to these robots remain unclear. To address these issues, we installed two tele-operated service robots in a bakery store for nearly 2 weeks, one at the entrance as a greeter and the other one inside the store to recommend products. The results show a dramatic increase in sales during the days when the robots were applied. Furthermore, we annotated the video recordings of both the robots' and customers' behavior. We found that although the robot placed at the entrance successfully attracted the interest of the passersby, no apparent increase in the number of customers visiting the store was observed. However, we confirmed that the recommendations of the robot operating inside the store did have a positive impact. We discuss our findings in detail and provide both theoretical and practical recommendations for future research and applications.
翻译：在本文中,我们报告了一项实地研究,我们在一家面包店雇用了两个服务机器人作为促销对象。以前的研究探讨了服务机器人在公众中的应用,如购物商场等。然而,还需要更多证据表明服务机器人可以对真实商店的销售作出贡献。此外,对客户和服务机器人在促销方面的行为没有很好地加以研究。因此,可以被视为有效的机器人行为类型和客户对这些机器人的反应仍然不明确。为了解决这些问题,我们在一家面包店安装了两个远程操作服务机器人,时间近两周,一个在门口,另一个在商店内推荐产品。结果显示,服务机器人可以在实际商店销售。此外,我们加注了机器人和客户行为的视频记录。我们发现,虽然在入口处放置的机器人成功地吸引了过路人的兴趣,但参观商店的客户数目没有明显增加。然而,我们确认,在商店内操作机器人的建议确实具有积极的影响,而且我们提出了实际研究的结果。我们讨论了在将来的理论应用方面提供了积极的影响。
相关内容
微信扫码咨询专知VIP会员