Citation: Valencia-Arias, A.;
Rodríguez-Correa, P.A.;
Patiño-Vanegas, J.C.; Benjumea-Arias,
M.; De La Cruz-Vargas, J.;
Moreno-López, G. Factors Associated
with the Adoption of Drones for
Product Delivery in the Context of
the COVID-19 Pandemic in Medellín,
Colombia. Drones 2022, 6, 225.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
drones6090225
Academic Editors: Paul Royall,
Andrzej Łukaszewicz, Wojciech
Giernacki, Zbigniew Kulesza, Jaroslaw
Pytka and Andriy Holovatyy
Received: 13 July 2022
Accepted: 23 August 2022
Published: 27 August 2022
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Article
Factors Associated with the Adoption of Drones for
Product Delivery in the Context of the COVID-19
Pandemic in Medellín, Colombia
Alejandro Valencia-Arias
1,
* , Paula Andrea Rodríguez-Correa
2
, Juan Camilo Patiño-Vanegas
3
,
Martha Benjumea-Arias
1
, Jhony De La Cruz-Vargas
4
and Gustavo Moreno-López
5
1
Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano,
Medellín 050034, Colombia
2
Centro de Investigaciones, Institución Universitaria Escolme, Medellín 050012, Colombia
3
Facultad de Negocios Internacionales, Universidad Santo Tomás, Medellín 050041, Colombia
4
Director general, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma,
Lima 15039, Peru
5
Grupo de Investigación en Educación y Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Institución Universitaria Marco Fidel
Suárez, Bello 051050, Colombia
* Correspondence: jhoanyvalencia@itm.edu.co; Tel.: +57-(300)-256-7977
Abstract:
This study aims to identify the factors associated with the adoption of drone delivery in
Medellín, Colombia, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For that purpose, it implemented
the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which have
constructs that complement each other to determine the decision to accept a given technology. A
survey was administered to 121 participants in order to validate the model proposed here, which is
based on variables that reflect the perceived attributes and risks of this innovation and individuals’
characteristics. The results indicate that the factors Performance Risk, Compatibility, Personal
Innovativeness, and Relative Advantage of Environmental Friendliness have the greatest influence
on Intention to Use Drone Delivery (mediated by Attitude Towards Drone Delivery). This paper
offers relevant information for the academic community and delivery companies because few other
studies have investigated this topic. Additionally, the proposed technology adoption model can be a
benchmark for other emerging economies in similar social, economic, and technological conditions.
Keywords: drones; drone delivery services; contactless delivery strategies; COVID-19; pandemic
1. Introduction
In a globalized and competitive world, innovation becomes a strategy for companies
to remain in the market [
1
]. However, some factors limit their success; for example, end
consumers are still reluctant to migrate to some new technologies or trends and question
whether it is advisable or not to adopt them because they are satisfied with the services they
have traditionally received and feel that adopting these new technologies is irrelevant [
2
].
In the present day, companies adopt technologies to improve production, sales, and logistics
processes due to their multiple advantages. The number of logistics operations of delivery
services has been increased by the growing volume of online orders. As a result of this
expansion and the different alternatives in the market, customers raise their expectations
regarding high-quality, faster delivery, for which they are willing to pay a premium price [
3
].
Consequently, companies are constantly investing in the search for innovative solu-
tions to improve their delivery systems that enhance their effectiveness and are environ-
mentally friendly [
4
]. For example, they have explored electric vehicles, artificial vision,
and machine learning for autonomous vehicles [
5
]. Taking into account the current context
of COVID-19 pandemic, the use of drones for parcel delivery is expected to increase in the
foreseeable future [
6
]. This is especially true considering that the current crisis is generated
Drones 2022, 6, 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6090225 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/drones
