An exploration into the influence of branding on Consumer purchase behaviour towards athletic footwear brands in South Africa.

Abstract

People do sports for pleasure, to improved health and for stress relieve. There has been a dramatic increase in youth enthusiasm to be active. A myriad of people own sneakers; hence, this market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over seven per cent. In the 21st Century, brand managers must understand what moves consumers to go from passive onlookers to active participants and to understand which domains of brand equity are the most influential driving force that triggers consumers' minds into desiring a new pair of sneakers. Non-probability sampling technique was used, which is purposive sampling. In this quantitative study, an online questionnaire was developed in view of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic outbreak to explore the influence of branding on consumer purchase behaviour towards athletic footwear brands in South Africa. The questionnaire was using Likert Scale to measure the degree of agreement from the respondents. In the early 1990’s, the concept of brand equity emerged. Four of the brand equity variables being measured in this research have a significant influence on consumer purchase behaviour. The researcher recommends that brands must leverage brand equity as it can create advantages and benefits for firms and consumers alike.