The Transmission Effect of Threshold Experiences: A Study on the Influence of Psychological Cognition and Subjective Experience on the Consumption Intentions of Smart Sports Venues

As a key domain within smart buildings, Smart Sports Venues represent a strategic direction for the future development of the construction industry and hold immense potential to drive the transformation and upgrading of the sports industry. To explore the underlying mechanisms influencing consumer willingness to use Smart Sports Venues, this study constructs a theoretical model based on cognitive evaluation theory and collects data from 632 spectators in core cities of Western China (a region undergoing rapid urbanization where the sports industry is accelerating its development). As an emerging consumption scenario, Smart Sports Venues demonstrate significant development potential and representativeness in these cities. Empirical testing using structural equation modeling (SEM) combined with mediation and moderation analysis revealed the following results: (1) Perceptions of technology and convenience positively influence consumption intention; (2) Risk perceptions negatively influence consumption intention; (3) Critical experiences mediate the effects of technology perceptions, convenience perceptions, and risk perceptions on consumption intention; (4) Subjective Experience exerts a moderating effect. This study offered a novel theoretical explanation for how smart sports venues enhanced sports consumption willingness by revealing the “cognition-experience-behavior” transmission pathway—the complete journey consumers traversed from forming perceptions and experiencing on-site activities to ultimately making purchase decisions. Compared to existing research, this model innovatively integrated psychological cognition with behavioral response mechanisms, breaking away from traditional studies’ isolated analysis of technical parameters or consumption motivations. From an interdisciplinary perspective of sports consumption psychology and behavioral science, this study not only highlighted the value of smart sports venues as a pivotal link in technological innovation and industrial upgrading but also filled a gap in existing literature regarding how smart technologies influenced consumer behavior through psychological mechanisms. The findings provided theoretical foundations for optimizing smart sports architecture through user behavior data analysis and offered practical insights for the widespread adoption and development of smart building technologies.