Yang Qing, Al Mamun Abdullah, Gao Jingzu, Makhbul Zafir Khan Mohamed
UKM - Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia.
Digit Health. 2023 Aug 16;9:20552076231194935. doi: 10.1177/20552076231194935. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.
This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use and actual usage of medicine vending machines (MVMs) in China and to close the existing literature gap by examining the relationship between perceived convenience (PC), perceived trust, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, on the intention to use MVM in a comprehensive manner. The impact of facilitating conditions on MVM adoption was also examined. Finally, customer age was tested as a moderator.
This was a cross-sectional study that used data collected through a self-administered questionnaire. A combination of partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) technique was used to analyze and discuss the 308 valid questionnaires, test the hypotheses, and conduct an in-depth analysis.
The results showed that PC, perceived trust, and performance expectancy were significantly related to the intention to use MVM. Effort expectancy was a non-significant predictor of intention to use MVM. Social influence was a significant negative predictor of the intention to use MVM. More importantly, performance expectancy was found to be a necessary factor for MVM intention, providing new marketing ideas for MVM owners. Age had a significant moderating effect on the facilitating conditions and intention to use vending machines. The relatively young population is more conscious of the facilitating conditions.
The findings of this study are of considerable importance as a guide for the main user group of vending machines. The combined analysis and discussion of PLS-SEM and NCA provide a sound theoretical basis for the practical implications of this study. In the future, we will attempt to use this technique in other areas of study. In terms of theoretical implications, this study provides technical references for future research.
本研究旨在调查影响中国药品自动售货机（MVM）使用意愿和实际使用情况的因素，并通过全面考察感知便利性（PC）、感知信任、绩效期望、努力期望和社会影响与使用MVM意愿之间的关系，填补现有文献空白。还考察了促进条件对MVM采用的影响。最后，将顾客年龄作为调节变量进行了检验。
这是一项横断面研究，使用通过自填式问卷收集的数据。采用偏最小二乘结构方程建模（PLS-SEM）和必要条件分析（NCA）技术相结合的方法，对308份有效问卷进行分析和讨论，检验假设，并进行深入分析。
结果表明，PC、感知信任和绩效期望与使用MVM的意愿显著相关。努力期望不是使用MVM意愿的显著预测因素。社会影响是使用MVM意愿的显著负向预测因素。更重要的是，绩效期望被发现是MVM意愿的必要因素，为MVM所有者提供了新的营销思路。年龄对促进条件和使用自动售货机的意愿有显著的调节作用。相对年轻的人群对促进条件更敏感。
本研究的结果对于自动售货机的主要用户群体具有重要的指导意义。PLS-SEM和NCA的综合分析和讨论为该研究的实际应用提供了坚实的理论基础。未来，我们将尝试在其他研究领域使用该技术。在理论意义方面，本研究为未来的研究提供了技术参考。
