EXAMINING ANTECEDENTS OF GENERATION Y BRAND LOYALTY OF SPORTSWEAR IN SHANGHAI, CHINA

Abstract

In the past few deceased, the sports industry is growing quickly and sportswear is becoming an important part of the sports products market. There are several brands that recognize the most in the highly competitive public market such as Nike and Adidas. The sportswear markets have benefited from the continued growth of the “athleisure†movement. Since 2008, China has held the Olympic Games, the sports industry has become more and more popular and important. Sports brands are in the process of developing and growing stronger. Meanwhile, it must face the fierce brand competition. So to keep the advantage in the competition, sport brand firms need to hook in loyal customers and increase the brand loyalty. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the factors influencing generation Y brand loyalty towards sportswear in Shanghai, China. This research model has examined the relationship between seven independent variables which are brand name, product quality, price, product style, store environment, promotional activities, service quality, and brand loyalty is the dependent variable. Convenient sampling was used in this study and 402 respondents were interviewed by using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis and regressions were used to accomplish the objective. The result indicate that brand name, product style, promotional activities and service quality will influence the generation Y brand loyalty towards sportswear. This research could help China sports brand industry to develop more quickly and target the correct market.