Proximity marketing and Bluetooth beacon technology: A dynamic mechanism leading to relationship program receptiveness

Abstract

Bluetooth beacon technology (BBT) is expected to enhance the evolution of proximity marketing by fostering customers’ reception of relationship marketing programs. Unfortunately, this evolution has not progressed as anticipated due to deficient comprehension of consumer cognition, evaluation, and receptiveness behaviors. Drawing on mainly Equity theory and the theory of Reasoned Action, this research proposes a three-level framework to investigate the focal forces and underlying processes related to consumer receptiveness of proximity BBT-based relationship programs. The data are collected in Taipei, Taiwan. The findings suggest the inhibiting and promoting roles of permission-triggered privacy concerns and social presence, respectively, in explaining variations in the consumer receptiveness of relationship programs. Moreover, innovation security, which includes perceived risk and technology anxiety, as well as frugality are confirmed to contribute to the increase in privacy concerns. Also, social presence is proven to mitigate the effect of innovation security on privacy concerns.