Acceptance and use predictors of fitness wearable technology and intention to recommend

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the key facilitators and inhibitors of fitness wearable technology (FWT) adoption and the intention to recommend this technology. Design/methodology/approach An innovative and integrated research model was developed by combining constructs from two well-established theoretical models, the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) and diffusion of innovation (DOI). The proposed research model was empirically validated using data collected from 392 respondents in China. The data was analyzed using the partial least squares method, a statistical analysis technique based on structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, habit, compatibility and innovativeness have significant direct and indirect effects on FWT adoption and the intention to recommend it. The significance of people’s intention to recommend FWT to others in social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Weibo, and WeChat) is also confirmed. Practical implications The findings may facilitate the design and implementation of FWT products, applications and functionalities that can achieve high consumer acceptance and positive recommendations in social networks. Originality/value This study is among the first to investigate FWT adoption from behavioral, social and environmental perspectives. It also highlights the importance of social marketing campaigns and suggests directions of future wearable technology adoption research.

Understanding the barriers and factors associated with consumer adoption of wearable technology devices in managing personal health

“…Price and value is a cost/benefit analysis consumers analyze to determine if they want to use a given technology (Venkatesh et al, ). However, our results were consistent with the findings of other studies related to wearable devices (Talukder et al, ), as both have shown that price or value has no significant effect on intention to use technology. For this study, we predicted that if individuals were required to spend a significant amount of money for the service, they might be reluctant to use WTDs.…”

“…However, both of the studies utilized IT professionals, whose use of the technology was not voluntary. Talukder, Chiong, Bao, and Hayat Malik (2019) use UTAUT2 to examine the adoption of smartwatches. In the past, researchers have identified key facilitators and inhibitors of fitness-wearable technology adoption as well as intention to recommend the technology.…”

“…Multiple studies have used technology adoption theories to understand consumer acceptance of wearable technologies (Chuah et al, 2016;Gao, Li, & Luo, 2015;Kim & Shin, 2015;Kranthi & Ahmed, 2018;Talukder et al, 2019;Yang, Yu, Zo, & Choi, 2016). Several studies have investigated and validated UTAUT2 to understand consumer adoption of wearables and strongly recommend the further development of a framework with other antecedents.…”

“…Other studies have shown that effort expectancy is no longer a barrier for the adoption of modern technology because consumers have enough experience and knowledge with the use of one technology to learn and use another (Gao et al, 2015;Wang, Jung, Kang, & Chung, 2014). Additionally, several studies found that effort expectancy does not have a significant impact on WTDs (Talukder et al, 2019;Wu, Sum, & Nathan-Roberts, 2016). Therefore, while traditionally considered among the UTAUT2 framework, the effort expectancy construct is excluded from this study.…”

“…Previously, the construct of habit has been tested by Kranthi and Ahmed (2018) and Talukder et al (2019) in the context of WTDs. While the study of adoption of smartwatches among Indian IT professionals (Kranthi & Ahmed, 2018) did not find habit to be significant, the study by Talukder et al (2019) found the construct to be significant among Chinese consumers who track their fitness activities. Our study has confirmed Talukder et al's (2019) findings.…”