Pick-me-up Strategy for a Self-recommendation Agent: A Pilot Field Experiment in a Convenience Store

Abstract

Research on self-recommending product agents is under way. Compared with product promotion by humanoid robot agents, self-recommending agents can call a passing cus-omer's attention to product. As the customer's interest is focused on the product, the self-recommending agent can then give instructions, such as “pick me up.” It has been found that customers tend to follow such instructions, and touching the product is known to effectively support sales promotion. From two experiments in a convenience store, a self-recommending agent in this study was successful in attracting customer interest, which included handling the products. However, we also found that, after being picked up, the products' monologue resulted in customers leaving the product behind on the shelf. Herein, we examine the reasons why.