An investigation into the influence of brand equity facets on consumer purchase intentions of athletic footwear in South Africa.

Abstract

People purchase athletic footwear beyond the purposes of using them for sporting activities, they have become a fashion symbol and a way for many individuals to express themselves over the years. A multitude of people purchase athletic footwear resulting in brands expanding their product offering and developing new marketing strategies in order to enhance their value proposition against that of their competitors. Brands invest a significant amount towards strengthening their brand equity, hence, it is imperative we understand what influences customers to go from passive buyers to active buyers and to develop an understanding of what aspects of brand equity resonate with customers and act as a driving force towards a desire to purchase athletic footwear. Two research objectives were set out and in order to answer them, data was collected from 24 South African consumers through a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire that made use of a Likert scale to measure the degree of agreement or disagreement from respondents. The results indicate that the brand equity facets being measured in this study indeed influence purchase intentions of athletic footwear with the results suggesting that brand loyalty from the brand equity facets has the least influence on consumer purchase decisions. Drawing from the research findings; limitations, future research considerations and study implications are discussed.