In facing fierce competition, fitness centers have encountered challenges of generating long-term economic sustainability. The construct of switching costs, which has garnered considerable attention as a sustainable strategy, suffers from conceptual confusion in the literature, limiting the applicability of the concept to fitness centers. The purpose of the study is to conduct a conceptual analysis of switching costs, thereby clarifying conceptual confusion and providing implications for fitness centers. To achieve the purpose, a conceptual analysis method was adopted, in which 376 switching costs articles were analyzed. The results show that (1) several terms have been used individually and interchangeably, (2) there is no consensus on the definition, (3) both unidimensional and multidimensional conceptualizations have been used, (4) model specification has rarely been done, and (5) a paucity of studies have been conducted in the context of the sport industry. Overall, we highlight the conceptual weaknesses of previous switching costs research and offer several recommendations and approaches to scholars who are interested in this line of research. Furthermore, the conceptual analysis brings attention to the importance of conceptualization (e.g., choosing a term, defining a construct) and how conceptual confusion might impinge on future research in the marketing literature.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify existing users' acceptance of the multidimensional health and fitness features of wrist-worn wearable devices (WWDs) required for each stage of physical activity (i.e. before, during and after) and examine the relationship between its acceptance (i.e. knowledge acquisition, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and the actual use of its health and fitness attributes.Design/methodology/approachBoth qualitative and quantitative approaches were taken to analyze the relationships. A focus group interview was conducted (N = 9) to design the research model, including the operationalized definition of the study constructs. A questionnaire survey was conducted with respondents in South Korea (N = 480). Partial least squares structural equation modeling via Smart PLS 3.0 was employed to test the hypotheses.FindingsWhen users learned to use fitness functions and perceived them as useful for physical activity without causing any difficulty, they tended to use those functions more, which provided enhanced health benefits in the digitalized interactive environment of WWDs.Originality/valueThis research is one of the first to examine the relationship between the perceived user value of WWDs and their actual usage within a digitalized and interactive environment. The results are expected to offer theoretical insights into how well users accept the health and fitness components of WWDs. Practically, it will build awareness of what makes users adopt and use WWDs, helping practitioners design better health promotions and campaigns associated with WWDs.

BACKGROUND The health and fitness functions of wrist-worn wearables (WWD), designed to encourage users to be physically active and take preventive measures against diseases, now provide increased health benefits due to their digitalized interactive environment. However, literature on the role played by the individual health and fitness functions of WWD (i.e., goal setting, data tracking, goal tracking, and share-archive function) in users’ physical activity is limited. OBJECTIVE The present study aims to identify existing users’ acceptance of the multidimensional health and fitness features of WWD (i.e., knowledge acquisition, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use) required for each stage of physical activity (i.e., before, during, and after) and examine the relationship between its acceptance and the actual use of its health and fitness attributes. METHODS Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were taken for analyzing the relationship. A focus group interview was conducted (n=9) to design the research model, including the operationalized definition of the constructs required for the study. A questionnaire survey was conducted with respondents in South Korea (n=480). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), via Smart PLS 3.0, was employed to test the hypotheses proposed in our study. RESULTS The participants were aged 10–70, and their careers in sport ranged from being national athletes to amateur- and student-athletes. The sample comprised 47.5% females and 52.5% males. For the measurement model analysis of lower-order constructs, all the model evaluation criteria (i.e., item loadings (ranging from .771 to .912 > .70), Cronbach’s alpha (ranging from .779 to .946 > .70), composite reliability (ranging from .859 to .955 > .70), convergent validity (AVE ranging from .653 to .780 > .50), and discriminant validity via Fornell-Larcker criterion and HTMT) met the requirement. Because we treated actual usage of WWD as a second-order construct, we tested validity and reliability of the higher-order constructs via the repeated indicators and two-stage approaches. As a result, the psychometric properties of second-order constructs were found to be adequate. With respect to the predictive relevance of the hypothesized structural model, the R2 (.725, t=31.366, P <.001) and the Q2 value (.469) indicated a high predictive accuracy of our hypothesized model. Further analysis revealed that all the paths were significant: from goal setting to actual usage (β=.133, t=1.756, P=.001), goal tracking to actual usage (β=.281, t=5.158, P<.001), and share-archive to actual usage (β=.400, t=8.399, P<.001) except the path from data tracking to actual usage. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that when users learn to use fitness functions and perceive them as useful for physical activity without causing any difficulty, they tend to use those functions more, which provides enhanced health benefits under the digitalized interactive environment of WWD.