Amateur Athletes and Adoption of Smartwatches. Perceptions of Usage, Ease of Use and the Role of Virtual Community Emersion

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected devices and sensors communicating and exchanging data through the Internet. Wearable technologies are a popular application of IoT and can potentially affect users’ lifestyles, health, well-being, behaviors, and decisions. Smartwatches are the most popular type of wearable device among athletes. We are interested in the factors influencing the adoption of smart devices which monitor and track sports and fitness activities. Our data was based on a convenient sample of 128 amateur runners and we performed descriptive statistics and regression analysis. We applied the theoretical model of Technology Acceptance and empirical results reveal that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and smartwatch health indications, are notable antecedents of someone’s decision to adopt a smart device. Sport wearable companies may get insights from this research about significant factors of smartwatch adoption and products to help athletes enhance their performance.