Understanding Consumer Acceptance of Smart Washing Machines: How Do Female Consumers’ Occupations Affect the Acceptance Process?

Abstract

Smart washing machine (SWM) technology is being developed at a rapid pace, but the impact of female consumers’ occupations on the acceptance of SWMs is still relatively unknown. This study aims to investigate the effect of female consumers’ occupations, including full-time housewives and employed females, on their acceptance of SWMs with 11 hypotheses using the extended technology acceptance model (ETAM). The model includes antecedents (i.e., subjective norms and product involvement with washing machines), belief variables (i.e., perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment), and acceptance intention. Female users’ occupation was applied as a moderating variable to examine the differences in the acceptance process. Data from 380 South Korean women were analyzed using multi-group structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated that full-time housewives placed greater emphasis on the utilitarian benefits of SWMs, so enhanced convenience and efficiency of laundry played crucial roles in their acceptance process. In contrast, employed females perceived that both the utilitarian and hedonic benefits of SWMs were significant indicating that the technical advances of SWMs and psychological and social pleasure were important in their acceptance process. The results have implications for the home appliance industry to establish optimal marketing and technology development strategies targeting female users with different occupations.