Antecedents of Trust and the Continuance Intention in IoT-Based Smart Products: The Case of Consumer Wearables

This work develops a theoretical model to examine the trust building process in an Internet of Things (IoT) based wearable platform. Specifically, various antecedents of trust are considered and its mediating role in the continuance usage intention of the wearables is studied. We also consider the moderating effect of personal innovativeness. An empirical survey is conducted, and 688 usable responses are obtained from the millennial generation users. The data is analyzed using the partial least squares method. Results show that privacy and security concerns are the two biggest hinderances to the trust building process. The users perceive mobility, and usability to be relative advantages, both of which play a positive role in enhancing the trust levels. The effect of personal innovativeness is also observed to be significant. Interestingly, the effect of social influence on the trust level is not supported, which means that boosting a positive image within the social community will not help in the diffusion and continuance usage of the wearables. Based upon the results suitable theoretical and practical implications are discussed, with stress being given to formulate specific strategies targeted towards the highly innovative users, who can improve the overall trust scenario and ensure a continued usage of the wearables.