Optimizing Last-Mile Delivery Solutions: An Investigation into User Behavioral Intention to Use Smart Parcel Lockers in Saudi Arabia

Background: The growth of e-commerce has intensified last-mile delivery challenges, including failed deliveries, delivery-time uncertainty, and pressure on urban logistics. Smart parcel lockers (SPLs) offer a technology-enabled out-of-home delivery solution, yet limited evidence explains consumer adoption in Saudi Arabia. This study examines which factors motivate Saudi consumers to adopt SPLs, how trust shapes adoption intention, and whether perceived risk affects intention, using an extended UTAUT2 framework. Methods: Data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire from 415 residents in Saudi Arabia, and the model was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results: Performance expectancy was the strongest determinant of behavioral intention. Effort expectancy, social influence, trust, facilitating conditions, and hedonic motivation also had significant positive effects, whereas price value and perceived risk did not directly influence intention. Conclusions: The study contributes to SPL adoption literature by validating an extended UTAUT2 model in an underexamined Saudi context and highlighting the role of trust in technology-enabled LMD acceptance.