Quantify-me: consumer acceptance of wearable self-tracking devices

Abstract

The usage of wearable self-tracking technology has recently emerged as a new big trend in lifestyle and personal optimization in terms of health, fitness and well-being. Currently, only little is known about why people plan or start using such devices. Thus, in our research project, we aim at answering the question of what drives the usage intention of wearable self-tracking technology. Therefore, based on established technology acceptance theories, we deductively develop an acceptance model for wearable self-tracking technologies which sheds light on the pre-adoption criteria of such devices. We validate our proposed model by means of structural equation modeling using empirical data collected in a survey among 206 potential users. Our study identifies perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, social influ-ence, trust, personal innovativeness, and perceived support of well-being as the strongest drivers for the intention to use wearable self-tracking technologies. By accounting for the influence of the demographic factors age and gender, we provide a further refined picture.