Trust In Internet Of Things Technology: Wearable Fitness Devices

Abstract

This study focused on the role of trust in the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and how the relationships between different trust attitudes affect consumers. Specifically, this research explored trust and trust-related behaviors in the context of wearable fitness devices. Previous research has shown the importance of trust in technology adoption but other trust-related behaviors such as trusting beliefs, trusting intentions, and manufacturer trusting perceptions were not studied in depth. Therefore, this study has developed several hypotheses concerning the relationships between these trust attitudes toward wearable fitness devices. All the hypotheses were confirmed. The study concluded that general trust, trusting beliefs, trusting intentions, and manufacturing trusting perceptions were correlated and influenced one another in the case of wearable fitness devices. The study also revealed interesting insights into the difference between Apple Watch owners and Fitbit owners. In general, there were stronger correlations between these trust attitudes for Apple Watch owners. Future studies can adopt a comparison between different fitness tracker brands to learn more about consumers' behaviors while studying wearable fitness devices. Overall, this study brings new insights into understanding consumers' trust attitudes and helps manufacturers design marketing strategies and develop products that focus on the consumer's interests and requirements.