Making the safe IoT choice?

Making the safe IoT choice?: A mixed methodology on the interaction of security and privacy related reviews and the customer purchase decision for IoT devices

Pulles, Annemijn (TU Delft Technology, Policy and Management)

van Eeten, M.J.G. (mentor)
Janssen, M.F.W.H.A. (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Complex Systems Engineering and Management (CoSEM)

2022-10-12

Due to the increasing use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices people have created an entirely new digital world for themselves. However, the security and privacy risk in this world are emerging. People using smart devices for everything in their lives are not realising that every interaction is collected and stored in databases. This study has researched whether people take responsible action when it comes to purchasing an IoT device via displaying security and privacy related reviews.
The research was executed via a mixed methodology, with the quantative method being a discrete choice experimentation in the form of a survey and a website design. The study has found that out of a hundred respondents forty-four people chose a device with positive S\&P related reviews. Furthermore, more than half of the respondents chose the design as the main reason for choosing it. However, the qualitative data has shown that the reviews were often used as a last measure factor to pick between their 'favorite' devices. At that moment most of the respondent picked a device that had positive S\&P related reviews.
This research has contributed to science by showing how S\&P reviews interact with the customer purchase decision. Furthermore, it elaborates on the S\&P awareness process prior to the purchase instead of after. Thereby, it also presents the framing effect in the IoT field, showing that people are sensitive towards positive S\&P related reviews and therefore becoming more risk-averse. In addition, the study gave more insight in the IoT Trust/Value Paradox and the Privacy Paradox in relation the the IoT purchase decision. At last, it has shown the customer-to-customer effect to have an impact on the purchase decision even though is it not always the main reason of purchasing a certain IoT device.

Customer purchase decision
Security and Privacy
Internet-of-Things
Customer-to-customer effect

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f9e6a9e5-b271-4de8-bdfd-605088b4efda

Student theses

master thesis

© 2022 Annemijn Pulles