Son adım teslimatta otonom drone kullanımının kullanıcı kabulü
User acceptence of autonomous drone in last mile delivery
Yazar: MUHAMMED ALİ ERDEM
Danışman: PROF. DR. HATİCE CAMGÖZ AKDAĞ
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / İşletme Mühendisliği Ana Bilim Dalı / İşletme Mühendisliği Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2024
Konu: Endüstri ve Endüstri Mühendisliği = Industrial and Industrial Engineering

Özet:
Son yıllarda, covid-19 ile birlikte hızı artarak, son adım teslimat kavramının önemi 
artmıştır. Hızlı tüketim mallarının online kanallar vasıtasıyla talep edilmesinde bir artış 
gerçekleşmiştir.. Bu alandaki talebin artmasıyla birlikte yeni ihtiyaçlar oluşmuştur. Bu 
ihtiyaçlara cevap olabilecek son adım teslimat kanallarından birisi de drone ile teslimat
olacağı söylenebilir. 
Son adım teslimat ürünün müşteriye ulaştırılması için son adım olarak 
nitelendirilebilir. Tedarik zinciri açısından bakılacak olursa, ham maddeden nihai 
ürünün oluşturulup tüketiciye ulaştırılması anlamına gelen tedarik zinciri halkalarının 
son halkası son adım teslimat olarak adlandırılır. Drone kelimesi bir takım pervaneler 
vasıtasıyla uçabilen, yatay veya dikey olarak hareket edebilen, araçları ifade 
etmektedir. Bu pervane sayıları üründen ürüne değişiklik göstermekte olup en az 3 
adet olmaktadır. Otonom drone kavramı kendi kendine dışarıdan bir müdahale 
olmaksızın veya kısmi müdahale ile yatay ve dikey rotalar izlenerek uçarak varış 
noktasına ulaşabilen araçları ifade etmektedir. Lojistik süreçlerde, ürünün tüketiciye 
zamanında hasarsız olarak ulaştırılması müşteri açısından önemlidir. Bu süreçlerdeki 
gecikme müşterinin ürüne ve markaya dair aidiyet duygusunu azaltma potansiyeline 
sahiptir. Bu bağlamda, son adım teslimat hızının holistik perspektifte optimum 
seviyeye getirilmesi şirketler açısından önem arz etmektedir. Burada optimum 
seviyeyi yakalayabilmiş şirketler pazar payını koruyarak veya arttırarak rekabet 
avantajı sağlayacaklardır. Mevcut araştırmada tüketicilerin son adım teslimatta 
otonom drone kullanımını nasıl algıladıkları incelenmiştir. 
Araştırmada yeni teknolojilerin kabulünde sıklıkla kullanılan Teknoloji Kabul ve 
Kullanım Birleştirilmiş Modeli (UTAUT) kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada birden fazla 
değişken ve arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi nedeniyle Yapısal Eşitlik Modeli (YEM) 
kullanılmıştır.278 katılımcı sorulara yanıt vermiştir. Değişkenler 5'li Likert (5= 
Kesinlikle Katılıyorum; 1= Kesinlikle Katılmıyorum) ölçeğinde hazırlanmıştır. Analiz 
sürecinde ise Smart-PLS 4 paket programı kullanılmıştır. 
UTAUT modeliyle oluşturulan aracı değişkenlerin (Performans Beklentisi, Çaba 
Beklentisi, Sosyal Etki ve Kolaylaştırıcı Koşullar) aracılık ettiği bağımsız 
değişkenlerin (Kalite, Teslimat Güvenilirliği, Risk ve Güven), bağımlı değişken 
Davranışsal Niyet üzerindeki etkisi incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonuçlarına göre; H1, 
H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7, H8, H9, H11 hipotezleri desteklenmiş, H10 ve H12 
hipotezleri ise desteklenmemiş olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Böylece, Desteklenen 
hipotezler; kalitenin performans beklentisine etkisinin olduğu görülmüştür. 
Kullanıcıların cevaplarına göre, Teslimat güvenliğinin, performans beklentisine etkisi 
vardır. Kalitenin çaba beklentisine etkisi vardır. Teslimat güvenliğinin çaba beklentisi 
üzerinde etkisi vardır. Riskin sosyal etkiye etkisi bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca, 
güvenilirliğin sosyal etkiye etkisi vardır, riskin kolaylaştırıcı koşullara etkisi vardır, 
güvenilirliğin kolaylaştırıcı koşullara etkisi vardır, performans beklentisinin 
davranışsal niyete etkisi vardır, sosyal etkinin davranışsal niyete etkisi vardır, 
sonuçlarına da ulaşılmıştır. Desteklenmeyen hipotezlere bakıldığında ise; çaba 
beklentisinin davranışsal niyet üzerindeki etkisi ve kolaylaştırıcı koşulların davranışsal 
niyete etkisi anlamlı değildir. Elde edilen verilerin analizi sonucunda literatüre paralel 
sonuçlar elde edilmiştir.
Söz konusu teknolojinin yaygınlaşmasıyla birlikte, yeni bilimsel çalışmalar yapılabilir. 
Bu çalışmanın bilime katkı sağlayacağı ve toplumun refah seviyesinin yükselmesine 
etki edeceği umut edilir.

Abstract:
In recent years, the importance of the concept of last-mile delivery has increased, with 
its speed increasing with Covid-19. During the covid-19 period, individuals stayed at 
home and could not go out, so they made their purchases through online 
channels.Therefore, the demand for fast moving consumer goods increased through 
online channels. With the increase in demand in this area, needs were created in 
parallel with this demand. This need problem required new solutions. It can be said 
that one of the last step delivery channels that can meet these needs will be delivery 
by drone.
There have been major changes in the purchasing behavior of consumers who had to 
live at home during the Covid-19 period. E-commerce activities have spread rapidly. 
These activities have increased the importance of last-mile delivery and led to the 
search for different channels. Delivery by drone could be an important innovation in 
this regard. Drone delivery will be beneficial in reaching the optimal level from the 
perspective of efficiency, effectiveness and effectiveness compared to other last-mile 
delivery channels. 
The word "drone" refers to vehicles that can fly using a set of propellers, capable of 
moving horizontally or vertically, with the number of propellers varying from product 
to product, but typically being at least 3. The concept of autonomous drones refers to 
vehicles that can fly to their destination by following horizontal and vertical routes 
without external intervention. Autonomous drones can identify their surroundings 
through sensors and algorithms. Thus, autonomous drones have access to the 
information necessary for movement. This information can be processed and they can 
follow pre-planned routes. When unexpected obstacles are encountered while 
following these routes, a new routing can be made. Battery capacity, weather 
conditions and security conditions are important when optimizing this routing.
In terms of cost, it will reduce costs at the operational level compared to other channels. 
It will also provide cost advantages in the long term by reducing the need for 
manpower and reducing fuel costs. It will reduce carbon emissions and reduce air 
pollution within the scope of sustainability targets. Despite these advantages, drone 
delivery faces difficulties due to some regulations and permits.
There are some safety conditions for autonomous drones during flight.autonomous 
drones should not fly too close to people, buildings and other flying objects during 
flight. Developments in this area can be achieved with artificial intelligence. With the 
development of artificial intelligence, the autonomous flight capabilities of drones will 
increase. With this development, drones will be able to stay away from people, 
buildings and birds and become safer to use. In addition, with artificial intelligence, 
the optimum route will be determined by making analyses in terms of routing. This is 
important in terms of time management and cost management. Again, this artificial 
intelligence will be able to monitor weather changes during flight and apply 
appropriate safety protocols. Thus, it will be able to make new routing according to 
weather conditions.
If battery capacities increase, flight duration will increase and energy efficiency will 
increase by reducing returns to the center. Therefore, development in battery capacities 
is necessary for improvement in autonomous drone flights. Thus, autonomous drones 
will be able to fly longer distances with longer flight times. Optimization in this area 
can be achieved by developing artificial intelligence that can optimize battery 
consumption in autonomous drones. In this area, the development of artificial 
intelligence can make autonomous drones more widespread and reliable by optimizing 
their use in last mile delivery.
Last mile delivery can be thought of as the final step in getting the product to the 
customer. From a supply chain perspective, the final step in the supply chain, which 
involves creating the final product from raw materials and delivering it to the 
consumer, is called last mile delivery. Last mile delivery is one of the most complex 
stages of the supply chain. Here, the product must be delivered to the customer on 
time, without damage, and at minimum cost. Any delays in last mile delivery 
processes have the potential to diminish the customer's sense of ownership towards the 
product and the brand. In this context, optimizing the speed of last-mile delivery from 
a holistic perspective is important for companies. Companies that can achieve this 
optimal level will maintain or increase their market share, thus gaining a competitive 
advantage. The current study examines how consumers perceive the use of 
autonomous drones in last-mile delivery.
Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), commonly used in 
the acceptance of new technologies, was employed in the study. Due to the 
examination of multiple variables and their relationships, Structural Equation 
Modeling (SEM) was used. The structural equation model examines the cause-effect 
relationship of more than one variable. 278 participants responded to the questions.
Participants were reached online. Participants answered questions via Google form. 
The inventory used as a data collection method consists of 32 questions and 2 sections. 
The first section provides information about fast moving consumer goods and 
autonomous drone concepts. The second section includes scale questions and 
demographic characteristics. Questionaries were prepared on a 5-point Likert scale 
(strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree). Of the 
278 participants who participated in the research, 0.7% were between 50-59 years of 
age, 7.9% were between 40-49 years of age, 8.6% were between 30-39 years of age, 
45.7% were between 21-29 years of age, and 37.1% were between 18-20 years of age. 
Of the 278 participants who participated in the research, 84.2% were single and 15.8% 
were married. Of the 278 participants who participated in the research, 0.7% had 
primary school education, 5.8% had high school education, 63.3% had an associate 
degree, 19.1% had a bachelor's degree, and 11.2% had a postgraduate education. When 
the demographic characteristics were examined, it could be said that individuals 
between the ages of 18-29 constituted 82.8% and were predominant. As a result of the 
research, it could be said that the intention of users was due to the fact that the majority 
of the participants were young individuals.The Smart-PLS 4 program was used in the 
analysis process. 
The impact of independent variables (Quality, Delivery Security, Risk, and Trust) on 
the dependent variable Behavioral Intention, mediated by intermediary variables 
(Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating 
Conditions) created with the UTAUT model, has been examined. 
According to the results of the study; It was concluded that the hypotheses H1, H2, 
H3, H4, H5, H6, H7, H8, H9, H11 were supported, while the hypotheses H10 and H12 
were not supported. Thus, Supported hypotheses; It has been observed that quality has 
an impact on performance expectations. According to answers of users, Delivery 
security has an impact on performance expectation. Quality has an impact on effort 
expectancy. Delivery security has an impact on effort expectancy. Risk has an impact 
on social impact. In addition, reliability has an impact on social impact, risk has an 
impact on facilitating conditions, reliability has an impact on facilitating conditions, 
performance expectation has an impact on behavioral intention, social impact has an 
impact on behavioral intention, and the results have been reached. When we look at 
the unsupported hypotheses; The effect of effort expectation on behavioral intention 
and the effect of facilitating conditions on behavioral intention are not significant. The 
results of the analysis yielded conclusions parallel to those in the literature.
The conclusion section of the research includes interpretations of the results we found. 
The findings were explained in detail and their meaning and importance were 
emphasized. The general characteristics of the data used in our study were stated in 
detail. In order to evaluate the results more widely, differences and similarities with 
similar studies in the literature were included and evaluations were made. Suggestions 
were made for future studies. These suggestions provide the opportunity to fill the gaps 
in the literature.
As the service in question becomes more widespread, usage will increase. Thus, new 
scientific studies can be carried out and thus significant progress can be made in the 
field of last-mile delivery. The study may contribute to developments by providing 
information to companies considering investing in this field. Thanks to the innovations 
provided by the use of autonomous drones in last-mile delivery, it can lead to 
improvements in society's welfare level and quality of life. It is predicted that these 
developments will produce positive results both at the individual and social levels, and 
a more sustainable and healthy life will be possible in the future. It is hoped that this 
study will contribute to science and increase the welfare of society.