Smart Mask Consumer Behavior: TRA and TAM Hypotheses

Theory of Reasoned Action and Consumer Behavior

The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), formulated by Fishbein and Ajzen, is one of the key frameworks for understanding consumer behavior, intention, and planned purchase decisions for a specific product or service. The theory attempts to predict the behavioral intention of the buyer based on two factors: the attitudes that would lead to adopting the buying behavior, and the subjective norms that arise from the buyer's social influences (Hosseini et al., 2015; Myresten & Setterhall, 2015, p. 5). The factors that shape a buyer's social influences mainly include the beliefs held by surrounding people, which impact his or her decision-making process. There is an element of trust in other people's beliefs that affects the buyer's action, which is highly dependent on past behavior or experience (Chuchinprakarn, 2005).

The resulting behavior is shaped by attitudes modified by held beliefs, which in reality constitute subjective norms. When an individual is motivated to fulfill other people's expectations — particularly when those beliefs influence his or her mind — the resulting action is altered accordingly (Hosseini et al., 2015). Subjective norms or beliefs become positive when the person is motivated by others' positive expectations, and this motivation is soon reflected in affirmative actions (Hosseini et al., 2015). Conversely, negatively held subjective norms result in negative perceptions when the individual interprets others' expectations as unfavorable, taking the form of de-motivation.

Building on the theoretical foundation of TRA, it can be interpreted that the consumer evaluates information from peers about a product or service he or she intends to buy, so that the positive or negative attitudes of those peers can inform the final purchase decision (Haris et al., 2017). The buyer's intention is highly dependent on the previously held beliefs of peers and social networks, which shape rejection or acceptance of the product. In essence, the potential buyer perceives information obtained from peers with a degree of subjectivity that supports product evaluation (Haris et al., 2017). This evaluation process assists in forming a "yes" or "no" judgment about the product, ultimately leading to the final purchase decision.

The Influence of Consumers' Evaluation on Attitude

Meeting consumer expectations regarding a certain product is a primary goal that modern marketers pursue in devising plans for a product's success. Product quality evaluation results represent consumer valuations in terms of design, optimization, quality, and fulfillment of the service the product is intended for (Xu et al., 2018).

Companies succeed only when they produce products that rightly target consumers' needs and connect with them on a personal level. Connecting means being more personalized with changing needs, as is demanded in today's technology-driven environment. The hyper-connectivity that technology provides in contemporary times has allowed companies to build a dynamic digital ecosystem capable of supporting a fully streamlined consumer attitude (Amer et al., 2014). Businesses are now better positioned to facilitate consumers with improved product features, along with enhanced design, functionality, and performance. This mainstream phenomenon helps businesses capture consumer needs and improve their lives through high levels of performance expectancy as assessed by user or customer evaluation (Amer et al., 2014). Technology enables firms to stay connected with consumers' changing or upgrading needs so that a cohesive customer experience can be delivered through the smart features products possess (Riegger et al., 2022). It can be inferred that the greater the consumer engagement, the more personalized the product becomes and the higher the customer evaluation results.

The value-added features that personalization offers through smart technology have been incorporated into certain products, such as smart home devices (Raff et al., 2020). These devices tend to provide modern homes with the convenience of home automation, fulfilling the particular needs of individual households through specially designed features that enable intelligent task performance (Georgiev & Schlogl, 2018). The integration and evolution of services occur through the connectivity specialization known as the Internet of Things (IoT) (Kumar et al., 2019). Consumers have evaluated these products favorably for their life-ease benefits and increased security. The positive consumer attitude delivered through such product evaluations demonstrates that consumers want to improve their lives through the integration of smart technology and features, making smart devices an ambitious part of everyday living (Korneeva et al., 2021).

The same is true of the smartwatch, which gathers data from the consumer and presents it in a personalized manner — managing calls and messages, handling calendar tasks, giving reminders for physical activities such as exercise or walking, and even providing hydration notifications (Siepmann & Kowalczuk, 2021). The sensory digitization of the watch enables the human body to monitor three major psychological needs based on self-determination theory (SDT): autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Siepmann & Kowalczuk, 2021). Wearable devices like smartwatches provide functionalities that support a healthy lifestyle and are expected to reduce healthcare expenses over time.

Smart Mask Technology and Value-Added Features

A smart mask is a new concept designed to help digitize consumer health and protection against infections before they occur. The integration of respiratory sensors with real-time data would be useful for enabling immediate safety measures for wearers (Hyysalo et al., 2022). Health data is collected from the user to build a personalized health profile and history. Sensory reception, artificial intelligence (AI), wireless technology, software, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the technological features that smart masks would use for real-time data enhancement (Hyysalo et al., 2022). This value-added personalization through user health data forms the backbone of the smart mask's design.

The technology embedded within smart masks is unique. It features a system that dynamically detects the occurrence of nearby airborne particles (Kalavakonda et al., 2021). Sensory data identify particles that contain viruses and other airborne pathogens. Technological enhancements address size distribution, pathogen properties, particle size, and concentration detection. The aerosol spread is mitigated by the technological strategy built into the smart mask. Two mechanisms are integrated for this purpose: particle sensors and active mitigation. The quality of surrounding air and the associated health risk are features conducive to personalization, value-addition, improved effectiveness for the user, and favorable consumer evaluation — all of which positively influence consumer attitude.

The rechargeable and reusable features of smart masks are further useful attributes that could support their adoption. These benefits would help bring low-cost masks to market, as masks would no longer be disposable (El-Atab et al., 2021). They could be reused multiple times after recharging the built-in technological features to interact with the surrounding environment and detect any allergic pathogens in the air that may pose a risk to the user's health. Filtration efficiency, along with a battery life expected to exceed five days, are among the value-added traits; ease of use is enhanced by a smooth fabric layer that keeps the mask comfortable on the face for long hours without irritation (El-Atab et al., 2021).

Additional investigations of the proposed technology mechanisms within smart masks include self-sanitizing capability and filtration efficiency, both of which enable extra comfort for the user (De Sio et al., 2020). Certain design visions have been developed for smart masks to work effectively — for instance, thermal disinfection, light control during high sunlight exposure, and an electrospun layer that creates resistance against infectious airborne particles. The comfort and convenience of the system form part of the mechanism that would cultivate a new dimension of consumer attitude toward buying and wearing masks. This vision was largely motivated by conditions during COVID-19, when medical professionals had to work long hours wearing the same mask, which became laden with humidity and breath condensation and was exposed to numerous pathogens while treating patients (De Sio et al., 2020). The goal was to build a high-filtration mask with innovative technology that would be cost-effective and high-performing in mitigating health risks and lung inflammation.

Research has further suggested that consumer engagement — which can be translated into personalization — is imperative for smart devices aimed at prioritizing consumer well-being (Henkels et al., 2020). Service providers of smart devices keep technology at the forefront, given that artificial intelligence is among the most prominent design features with which smart devices have been equipped (Neuhofer et al., 2015). Customers' perceived effectiveness of a product is believed to be high when the product or service anticipates their desires and fulfills their needs. Smart home devices, for example, make consumers' daily lives more convenient by creating a personalized home environment through customer engagement. This phenomenon, corroborated by research, would stimulate greater consumer engagement and stronger consumer intention to disclose personal data for improved smart device functionality (Scarpi et al., 2022).

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