  In this paper, we report on a field study in which we employed two service
robots in a bakery store as a sales promotion. Previous studies have explored
public applications of service robots public such as shopping malls. However,
more evidence is needed that service robots can contribute to sales in real
stores. Moreover, the behaviors of customers and service robots in the context
of sales promotions have not been examined well. Hence, the types of robot
behavior that can be considered effective and the customers' responses to these
robots remain unclear. To address these issues, we installed two tele-operated
service robots in a bakery store for nearly 2 weeks, one at the entrance as a
greeter and the other one inside the store to recommend products. The results
show a dramatic increase in sales during the days when the robots were applied.
Furthermore, we annotated the video recordings of both the robots' and
customers' behavior. We found that although the robot placed at the entrance
successfully attracted the interest of the passersby, no apparent increase in
the number of customers visiting the store was observed. However, we confirmed
that the recommendations of the robot operating inside the store did have a
positive impact. We discuss our findings in detail and provide both theoretical
and practical recommendations for future research and applications.
