업그레이드 유형과 지각된 목적 인식이 수용 의도와 브랜드 신뢰에 미치는 영향 : 지각된 진정성 및 통제감의 매개효과와 프라이버시 우려의 조절된 매개효과를 중심으로 = The Effects of Software Upgrade Type and Perceived Purpose Orientation on Adoption Intention and Brand Trust: Focusing on the Mediating Roles of Perceived Authenticity and Control and the Moderated Mediating Effect of Privacy Concern

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As digital technologies advance, software upgrades have become one of the most critical means for sustaining consumer engagement and enhancing long-term brand relationships. Beyond functional improvement, software upgrades serve as strategic messages that express a brand’s intention and relational attitude toward consumers. However, little research has examined how consumers interpret and respond to such upgrades depending on their perceived motives and contextual cues. Therefore, this study aims to uncover the psychological mechanisms through which consumers evaluate software upgrades and develop acceptance intentions and brand trust. Specifically, this research investigates the interaction between software upgrade type(free vs. paid) and perceived purpose orientation of upgrade(relational vs. performance) and explores the mediating roles of perceived authenticity and perceived control as well as the moderating effect of privacy concern.

To ensure ecological validity, two pretests were conducted. The first pretest selected appropriate product categories, health wearable applications and cloud storage services, and verified the manipulation of relationship-oriented and performance-oriented messages. The second pretest determined realistic price levels for the paid upgrade condition based on market data and consumer perception. Building upon these findings, two main experiments were carried out. Study 1 examined the interaction between software upgrade type and perceived purpose orientation of upgrade on upgrade adoption intention and verified the mediating effects of perceived authenticity and perceived control. The results indicated that when the perceived purpose orientation matched the upgrade type, namely free upgrades with relationship-oriented messages and paid upgrades with performance-oriented messages, consumers showed significantly higher adoption intentions. Furthermore, perceived authenticity mediated the relationship in the relationship-oriented context, while perceived control mediated the relationship in the performance-oriented context.

Study 2 replicated and extended these findings to test their generalizability. This study examined the moderated mediation effects of privacy concern and the sequential mediation from upgrade adoption intention to brand trust. The results supported all hypotheses. Perceived authenticity influenced adoption intention only when privacy concern was low, whereas perceived control influenced adoption intention only when privacy concern was high. Additionally, the interaction between software upgrade type and perceived purpose orientation of upgrade affected brand trust through a sequential pathway involving perceived authenticity(or control) and adoption intention.

The findings of this research provide several implications. Theoretically, this study proposes an integrated framework that explains how consumers’ psychological interpretations, including authenticity, control, and privacy concern, jointly shape their responses to software upgrades. It extends the understanding of upgrades from a technical enhancement to a relational communication process that fosters brand trust. Practically, the results suggest that brands should design upgrade strategies aligned with perceived purpose orientation by emphasizing authenticity and emotional sincerity in relationship-oriented contexts and enhancing consumers’ sense of control and autonomy in performance-oriented contexts. Furthermore, transparent data management that strengthens privacy trust is essential for maintaining sustainable consumer–brand relationships.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서 론 1
• 1. 연구 배경 및 목적 1
• 2. 연구 방법 및 구성 8
• Ⅱ. 이론적 배경 10
• 1. 업그레이드(Upgrade) 10
• 1) 업그레이드의 정의 10
• 2) 업그레이드에 관한 연구 12
• 2. 지각된 업그레이드 목적 인식(Perceived purpose orientation of upgrade) 16
• 1) 지각된 업그레이드 목적 인식의 정의 및 특징 16
• 2) 일반적 지각된 목적 인식에 관한 연구 18
• 3. 지각된 진정성(Perceived authenticity) 21
• 1) 지각된 진정성의 정의 및 특징 21
• 2) 지각된 진정성에 관한 연구 23
• 4. 지각된 통제감(Perceived control) 26
• 1) 지각된 통제감의 정의 및 특징 26
• 2) 지각된 통제감에 관한 연구 28
• 5. 프라이버시 우려(Privacy concern) 31
• 1) 프라이버시 우려의 정의 및 특징 31
• 1) 프라이버시 우려에 관한 연구 33
• Ⅲ. 연구 모형 및 가설설정 36
• 1. 연구 모형의 설계 36
• 2. 연구가설의 설정 38
• 1) 업그레이드 유형과 지각된 업그레이드 목적 인식이 업그레이드 수용 의도에 미치는 영향 38
• 2) 지각된 진정성과 지각된 통제감의 매개효과 40
• 3) 프라이버시 우려의 조절된 매개효과 42
• 4) 업그레이드 수용 의도와 브랜드 신뢰 44
• Ⅳ. 사전 조사 46
• 1. 1차 사전 조사 46
• 1) 실험 설계 46
• 2) 실험 절차 48
• 3) 측정 도구 48
• 4) 결과 분석 48
• 2. 2차 사전 조사 50
• 1) 실험 설계 50
• 2) 실험 절차 52
• 3) 결과 분석 52
• 3. 연구 논의 53
• Ⅴ. 실험 1 54
• 1. 연구 개관 54
• 2. 연구 방법 54
• 1) 실험 설계 54
• 2) 실험 절차 55
• 3) 측정 도구 55
• 3. 연구 결과 56
• 1) 조작 점검 56
• 2) 가설 검증 57
• 3) 매개효과 검증 59
• 4. 연구 논의 61
• Ⅵ. 실험 2 63
• 1. 연구 개관 63
• 2. 연구 방법 63
• 1) 실험 설계 63
• 2) 실험 절차 64
• 3) 측정 도구 64
• 3. 연구 결과 66
• 1) 조작 점검 66
• 2) 가설 검증 66
• 3) 매개효과 검증 67
• 4) 조절된 매개효과 검증 69
• 5) 순차적 이중 매개효과 검증 72
• 4. 연구 논의 74
• Ⅶ. 결론 76
• 1. 연구 요약 76
• 2. 연구의 시사점 78
• 3. 연구의 한계 및 향후 연구를 위한 제언 81
• 참고문헌 83
• Abstract 95
• [부록 1] 1차 사전 조사A 98
• [부록 2] 1차 사전 조사B 100
• [부록 3] 1차 사전 조사C 102
• [부록 4] 1차 사전 조사D 104
• [부록 5] 2차 사전 조사A 106
• [부록 6] 2차 사전 조사B 107
• [부록 7] 실험 1 설문지A 108
• [부록 8] 실험 1 설문지B 112
• [부록 9] 실험 1 설문지C 116
• [부록 10] 실험 1 설문지D 120
• [부록 11] 실험 2 설문지A 124
• [부록 12] 실험 2 설문지B 130
• [부록 13] 실험 2 설문지C 136
• [부록 14] 실험 2 설문지D 142