Consumer Behavior in the Sports Industry

 Consumer Behavior in the Sports Industry

Sports Industry 

Nowadays, in all of the sports industry, whether it is clothing, entertainment, or health and fitness; there are psychological commitments and loyalty in a sports fan to either a team or a brand. No matter what it is within the sports industry, everyone has a preference and an opinion. Maybe it is where you are from and that is what sports team you like, therefore you buy all of their gear and pay money to see them play. Or if it is a preference in clothing style and the way it fits. Even if it is just a group of friends that have influenced you in some way to wear the brand of sports clothes they are wearing. Everyone has their own psychological belief of what sports team, or sports clothing brand is right for them. This is what makes marketing in sports such a different animal than any other industry, because of the many factors that go into buying a product. 

Understanding the Consumer Decision Process in Sports

     The best way to understand the consumers' behavior in the sports industry is to think of the way the consumer is thinking. This might seem like the simplest thing, but many companies don't last because they cannot master this. The consumer decision process tells you, as a marketer, what is going through the customers' heads as they see your product either on the shelf or online. The first piece of the consumer decision process is a customer needing recognition. Let us use an example such as a customer needing a pair of shoes, and he goes to Dick's Sporting Goods and sees a nice new pair of Nike shoes on the shelf. The first reason for bringing the customer into the store is him needing the product. The second part of this process is the search for information. In one article I read titled Consumer Decision Process of Nike, the author states "The marketers will identify which target markets of information sources are most influential, the impact of these sources of information will depend on the products and customers. For example, I want to buy new pair of shoe and before I buy I will take advice from my friends of their experience on different brands of shoe and search information about the company brand product quality"(Consumer Decision Process of Nike, 2). It is very important that if you are a new company and trying to market your product, you need to have somewhere the customer can go to find out more information on your product, it's as easy as creating a website or a Facebook page. If the customer cannot find information on you, it is less likely they will want your product. In this case, because Nike is well-known, they can either look them up on the internet, or trust that their product is worthy. The third step before actually purchasing the product is arguably the most important. The alternative evaluation, in which the customer evaluates if the benefits of the product are worth the price of it. While marketing in the sports industry, there are a lot of consumers, so you're product must have something unique, the benefits of your product must be high, and the price must fit the benefits. In this case, if the shoe fits his style and is comfortable and in his price range, he will buy the product. The fourth and fifth steps go hand in hand, which is the purchase and post-purchase of the product. If the customer is satisfied, they will buy the product, and if the product is good enough, they will keep it. After the purchase of a product, the company needs to try and gain customer loyalty from this purchase and reduce cognitive dissonance, this could include maybe getting them on an email list for new products, or offering future discounts. Something bad can also happen post-purchase if the customer is dissatisfied, including rumors being spread, and a bad reputation being perceived by friends and family of the customer. 

References

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Consumer Decision Process of Nike. Retrieved from    https://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/the-consumer-decision-process-of-nike-marketing-essay.php?vref=1