The personalisation-privacy paradox: Consumer interaction with smart technologies and shopping mall loyalty

Smart shopping malls integrate a range of smart technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality. However, there is a lack of research on the personalisation-privacy paradox in the context of consumer interaction with smart technologies in shopping malls. Integrating the trust-commitment theory, the privacy calculus theory and interface design literature, this study develops a model for customer interactions with smart technologies in shopping malls. The model examines the mediating effects of personalisation and the moderating effects of consumer privacy concerns on the relationships between consumer interactions with smart technologies and shopping mall loyalty. Data were collected from 1139 millennial customers patronising two smart shopping malls in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. The findings highlight the significant mediating effects of personalisation on the positive relationships between dimensions of consumer interactions with smart technologies (interface design, trust, consumer peer interaction and relationship commitment) and shopping mall loyalty. In addition, our findings reveal a personalisation-privacy paradox, with consumer privacy concerns, unlike prior research, not exerting a moderating role in our proposed model. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a model on consumer interaction with smart technologies in shopping malls, addressing the roles of personalisation and privacy concerns.