Evaluation of the Relationship between the Smart Packaging Technology and Disability in Greece

Abstract

Today's technology dominates and influences every aspect of daily life. People with disabilities (PwD) benefit from new technologies and enjoy high-quality services according to their needs. The shopping experience of those people is essential and significantly influences their well-being and new technologies contribute to this issue. The objective of the current research is the examination of PwD's behaviors toward smart packaging use and in general the acceptance of technology in the shopping of products (inside and outside the home). The study was applied in Greek reality. The snowball sampling method was used to easily reach more participants. A questionnaire was used to collect the study's data and these were analyzed using descriptive and inductive statistics (the latter to examine the relationships between variables). The study is focused on the following three (3) groups and the sample sizes: (a) Deaf (n=108), (b) Blind (n=96), and (c) People with physical disabilities (n=105). The study found that PwD tends to accept technology for shopping and use smart packaging, although they face significant accessibility and autonomy problems in shopping areas (e.g. supermarkets). In addition, some demographics and other variables (gender, solar generation, sign - communication & reading (deaf), work occupation (blind), and ability to drive (deaf)) impact the shopping experience of PwD. The current study provides useful insights for practitioners and academicians to improve their relevant knowledge.