How “smart” should smart products look? Exploring boundary conditions of the Most-Advanced-Yet-Acceptable (MAYA) principle

• This study empirically examines the typical appearance of smart products and the impact on purchase intention. • This study finds a curvilinear moderation effect of product category knowledge. • The optimal typicality level for smart products depends on consumer smart product category knowledge. • Consumers with high smart product category knowledge favor a smart product-like appearance. • Consumers without smart product category knowledge prefer an intermediate level of appearance between smart and pre-existing products. This study examines the effect of smart products’ appearance typicality on purchase intentions and the moderation effect of smart product category knowledge. Previous studies suggest that a moderate degree of appearance typicality is associated with the highest purchase intention. Yet, this relationship is more complicated in the smart product market owing to its hybrid nature such as smartwatches connected to computers. We conducted a multilevel analysis based on survey data from 400 respondents regarding smart eyeglasses and smart speakers. The results revealed that category knowledge of smart products moderates the relationship between appearance typicality and purchase intention. Consumers with high levels of knowledge about smart products showed the highest purchase intention for a smart product-like appearance. In contrast, other consumers preferred an intermediate level of appearance between smart products and pre-existing products. These results demonstrate the importance of consumer segmentation based on category knowledge in smart product development and management.