Drivers of customers' efforts to cope with wearable device usage problems and the role of demographics in a study in China

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate determinants such as performance expectancy (PE), health beliefs (HB), technological compatibility, trust and social influence (SI) of customers' efforts to cope with problems associated with using wearable health technology, thereby determining their use intention of such products. The moderating effect of the demographic variables is also investigated.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was used to collect panel data from 285 respondents in China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses, and interaction moderation was applied to test the moderating effect of the demographic variables.FindingsThe results show that HB, technological compatibility, trust and SI significantly impact coping efforts associated with usage, which significantly influences intention to use. Only income significantly moderated the effect of coping efforts on the intention to use.Originality/valueThis is the first study combining coping theory and UTAUT to develop a model of drivers that encourages customers to overcome the constraints of using wearable technologies.