Acceptance of Digital Technologies: Empirical Evidence From Sport Marketing (or Industry)

Introduction

Acceptance is a perceptual phenomenon involving the evaluation of novel experiences and the formation of a final judgment regarding their advantages and disadvantages. Acceptance outcomes are the result of attitudes or actions. The emergence of acceptance is contingent on the interaction of three factors: subjective acceptance, objective acceptance, and the surrounding environment. Acceptance is an unpredictable concept because altered perceptions or general circumstances can result in varying degrees of acceptance. The decision to embrace or reject a particular technology is influenced by multiple factors (Safi et al., 2018). The Vodafone Institute's Tech Divide Report on the adoption of new technologies reveals that there are significant regional differences in the acceptance and popularity of technological innovations. While well over 80% of those surveyed in countries such as China and Japan are optimistic about digitalization and new technologies, only 54% of those surveyed in the United States, the birthplace of the digital revolution, are optimistic. In European nations such as Germany and the United Kingdom, even less than half of those polled hold positive views on the topic (merckgroup, 2023).

One of the technologies and innovations of the digital age is the Internet of Things, which aims to create a dynamic network around the world that can sense, collect, share, and exchange information anytime and anywhere. With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (Al-Fuqaha et al., 2015; Haight et al., 2016) and cloud computing in the last few decades, the field of sports has also been affected and has seen revolutionary changes (Luo et al., 2021). This technology has accelerated the ability to assess fitness and monitor exercise (Chaabene et al., 2018) understand athletes' conditions and performance adaptations over time (Weston, 2018) and improve safety (Wilkerson et al., 2018) as well as athletes' performance and progress in sports (Passos et al., 2021). Sports wearables are becoming a fundamental part of IoT technology, with research showing that they account for 50% of wearable technology unit sales worldwide (Insight, 2016). The sports industry is a vast and diverse sector, encompassing a wide range of companies, organizations, and individuals. It includes manufacturers of sports equipment and apparel, sports event organizers, sports media entities, and other stakeholders involved in sports. As of 2022, the global sports market is estimated to be valued at 624billion,anditisprojectedtoreach940 billion by the year 2027 (Research, 2023). However, it should be noted that the use of sports wearables is still in its early stages, and more than 30% of users abandon them after a period of time (Moore, 2016). This usage pattern may lead to companies not being able to obtain enough data from users to improve their products (Ledger, ). On the other hand, users may not be able to benefit from the results of exercises and health if these devices are not used for a long time. Therefore, having a better understanding of the acceptance and continuous use of sports wearables can have significant effects on management methods and even the quality of life of athletes (Lee et al., 2016). Acceptance of technology by users is one of the important factors of success that should be taken into account. It should be considered that this does not happen instantaneously, but is a process that develops over time. In case of continuous use and addiction, successful acceptance brings benefits (Mollahosseini & Foroozanfar, 2019).