Moderating Effect of Trust on The Key Factors Influencing Customer Acceptance of Parcel Lockers in Malaysia

Moderating Effect of Trust on The Key Factors Influencing Customer Acceptance of Parcel Lockers in Malaysia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Moderating Effect of Trust on The Key Factors Influencing Customer Acceptance of Parcel Lockers in Malaysia Khai Loon Lee, Charissa Endar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The rapid growth of e-commerce is increasing demand for last-mile delivery solutions while a parcel locker is becoming a popular solution. In the context of sustainable development, efficient last‑mile logistics can help reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and resource waste, aligning with global environmental goals. This research studies factors that affect the customer acceptance of parcel locker in Malaysia and the moderating role of trust in this relationship. Through a survey of 200 respondents, the data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to check the measurement and structural models. Based on the findings, both perceived usefulness and social influence significantly impact customer acceptance. On the other hand, environmental sustainability had no significant effect on acceptance. The findings show that trust is an important moderator; those two positive influences of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on customer acceptance are strengthened more when trust is high. According to the findings, the e-commerce sector should focus on functional utility and enhance social proof while building trust to drive e-adoption of businesses. By knowing these factors, providers can create better delivery solutions that improve customer satisfaction and convenience in the Malaysian market. This study offers insights into how technological factors and trust interact in last‑mile deliveries, contributing to more sustainable urban logistics. Unlocking convenience Parcel lockers Customer acceptance PLS-SEM Malaysia Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 13 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 28 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 27 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 23 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9246837","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":634428838,"identity":"9149daad-b9b4-4b02-8377-b3cf144a03bb","order_by":0,"name":"Khai Loon Lee","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPgYGZmYGBgkZIJvxAUxUAp8WNqgWHiCb2YAULQwgLWxwlfi1sDcfNi6oseDhZ+89Vs2bc8eev4H54G0ehm2JDbi08BxLTp5xTIJHsudc2m3ebc8SZxxgS7bmYbiNW4tEjvFhHjYJHoMbOWZALYcTGA7wmEnj1SL//vNhnn8QLcVALfbyB/i/4dciwcOczNsG0cIM1MK44QAPG34tPGnGxrx9IL+cMZacC/TLxsNsxpZzDG4b49LCz374sTTPtzo5fvYeww9vt92xlzve/PDGm4rbsri0oIMDwHgC0QYMjiRogQJ7InWMglEwCkbB8AcAdEhPDZwaJjQAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Lebuh Persiaran Tun Khalil Yakoob","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Khai","middleName":"Loon","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":634428839,"identity":"d71e1042-a869-4500-89ff-236c994df01d","order_by":1,"name":"Charissa Endar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Lebuh Persiaran Tun Khalil Yakoob","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Charissa","middleName":"","lastName":"Endar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-27 16:23:48","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108805670,"identity":"ece12a00-bb88-43f1-b7ed-23b25bc4813d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-08 15:26:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1005780,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20260422ManuscriptSubmission.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9246837/v1_covered_f53f31a2-5afe-451b-a900-04fe3feb1787.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Moderating Effect of Trust on The Key Factors Influencing Customer Acceptance of Parcel Lockers in Malaysia","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Unlocking convenience, Parcel lockers, Customer acceptance, PLS-SEM, Malaysia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe rapid growth of e-commerce is increasing demand for last-mile delivery solutions while a parcel locker is becoming a popular solution. In the context of sustainable development, efficient last‑mile logistics can help reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and resource waste, aligning with global environmental goals. This research studies factors that affect the customer acceptance of parcel locker in Malaysia and the moderating role of trust in this relationship. Through a survey of 200 respondents, the data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to check the measurement and structural models. Based on the findings, both perceived usefulness and social influence significantly impact customer acceptance. On the other hand, environmental sustainability had no significant effect on acceptance. The findings show that trust is an important moderator; those two positive influences of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on customer acceptance are strengthened more when trust is high. According to the findings, the e-commerce sector should focus on functional utility and enhance social proof while building trust to drive e-adoption of businesses. By knowing these factors, providers can create better delivery solutions that improve customer satisfaction and convenience in the Malaysian market. This study offers insights into how technological factors and trust interact in last‑mile deliveries, contributing to more sustainable urban logistics.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Moderating Effect of Trust on The Key Factors Influencing Customer Acceptance of Parcel Lockers in Malaysia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-06 17:28:22","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9246837/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-13T16:13:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-06T15:46:47+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-30T13:18:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"84286449658565221254478481502065382810","date":"2026-04-30T11:37:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"201588184062786302075083303019566171733","date":"2026-04-28T13:55:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-28T10:33:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-28T01:27:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-23T07:36:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Sustainability","date":"2026-04-23T07:14:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1585c3ca-53ca-4c4d-a907-10ffd719b7c3","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 6th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-13T16:13:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-06T15:46:47+00:00","index":38,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-30T13:18:36+00:00","index":34,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"84286449658565221254478481502065382810","date":"2026-04-30T11:37:33+00:00","index":33,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-13T16:24:33+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-06 17:28:22","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9246837","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9246837","identity":"rs-9246837","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}