Determinants of users continuous usage intention towards wearable devices in Taiyuan city, Shanxi province, peoples Republic of China

The rapid development of information technology, computer hardware, and software, and the Internet of Things, a new generation of intelligent wearable devices have been introduced by various manufacturers in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Therefore, to gain competitive advantage and achieve long-term development in the current fierce market competition, device providers should not only consider the initial adoption and purchase intention of users, but more importantly, how to retain customers and improve their willingness to continue using these devices. Based on the above background, this paper presents an empirical study to examine the factors that influence the user’s intention to continue the usage of wearable devices. A research framework that combined technology - personal - environment characteristics of the wearable devices and users’ intention to continue using these devices are developed. A quantitative method using online survey questionnaires was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised of users of wearable devices from Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China. The research results show that the intention to continue using wearable devices among respondents is high. Perceived usefulness, personal reference, and switching costs affect the continuous use of intention among wearables users. Based on the research results, this paper provides management implications for manufacturers and marketers of wearable devices.