Influencing factors of new retail usage behavior of Gen Y and Baby Boomers in China: a comparative study based on the integration of UTAUT, HBM and TORAOA with mediating effects

As the pandemic's impact diminishes, it becomes a new question whether people are eager to return to the pre-pandemic forms of retail services. This study adopts a combination of the Health Belief Model (HBM), Theory of Resistance Among Older Adults (TORAOA), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), aiming to explore from both promoting and inhibiting perspectives whether Gen Y and Baby Boomers still adhere to using new retail and which functionalities they utilise. This aspect has been overlooked in the past, especially as in the post-pandemic period. This study was conducted in Shanghai, a city with a relatively high level of economic development in China, and there were 399 valid questionnaires. SmartPLS was used to compare multiple groups' paths. The study found Generation Y and Baby Boomers are more likely to use self-service checkout systems and instant retail, and they frequently engage in this behaviour. Both groups disliked the e-commerce assistant's AI responses. The study found that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived health benefits do not influence the perceived usefulness of new retail among Baby Boomers and Gen Y. This significant finding suggests that the pandemic is fading away from people's lives and no longer affects changes in their behaviour and thinking. The results showed that for Generation Y, perceived financial cost significantly affected their barrier cognition, which in turn had a negative impact on their intention to use. For the Baby Boomer group, multidimensional resistance factors such as digital device accessibility, privacy risks, self-efficacy, and action restrictions significantly increased their perceived barriers, further affecting their perception of technology usefulness and usage behaviour. In addition, perceived usefulness showed a significant mediating effect between barrier perception and behavioural intention in the Baby Boomer group, but this path did not hold true in the young group. This study supports retail service organisations in developing strategies aligned with the senior market. The study complements research on retail behaviour after COVID-19 disappears, especially in comparing Baby Boomers and Gen Y.