ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the usage of wearable devices in the context of financial services. The main aim of the study is to investigate the role of innovative payment-enabled wearables in amateur sport. The first part presents the specifics of wearables, and mobile sport platforms as a complementary tool, as well as drawing attention to contactless payments as a financial use of these devices. Second, the work briefly presents the world market for wearable devices. The main part of the study is divided into two stages, with different empirical approaches. The first part of the results covers the quantitative analysis of data gathered within an online representative survey. It enables estimating the coverage of the Polish wearable market, as well as the use of digital banking services. A Technology Acceptance Model research framework was applied to study the conditions of consumer interest in making payments with the use of sports wrist-worn wearables. The second stage consists of an analysis of individual in-depth interviews, which enabled exploration of user motivations and enriched the conclusions drawn from the quantitative analysis. It is confirmed that financial services, in particular contactless payments, play an important and growing role in amateur sport, due to the popularisation of wearable devices. The research results obtained are significant in the context of digitisation processes in sports and interaction with the financial services sector.
