This study aimed to identify the effects of sports participation motives, the involvement in choosing sportswear, and the satisfaction with/perceived importance of sportswear functionality, on customers' repurchase intentions. A total of 185 survey questionnaires were analyzed after surveying 200 female undergraduates in their 20s. The research results are as follows. First, the participation motives for sports were categorized as follows. A factor analysis conducted on 13 questions yielded 4 factors. Factor 1 included consideration about socializing and pleasure, factor 2 privileged ostentation, factor 3 was concerned with enhancing health, and factor 4 was about maintaining appearance. Second, the various effects of different sports participation motives, of the satisfaction with functionality, and of the involvement in buying sportswear on customers' repurchase intentions were analyzed. The intention to repurchase sportswear was considered as a dependent variable, while the motives for participating in sports, the satisfaction with functionality, and the level of involvement were treated as independent variables. A multiple regression analysis using these variables showed that the satisfaction with functionality and involvement in choosing sportswear had a significant impact on the intention to repurchase sportswear. Third, looking at how different participation motives for sports affected the importance of sportswear functionality, the motives related to socializing and pleasure and ostentation, the sub-factors in sports participation motives, significantly increased the importance of comfort. Motives related to enhancing health and maintaining appearance, on the other hand, were found to affect the importance of sports performance. Fourth, a MANOVA was performed to examine the difference in the importance of functionality between those consumers highly involved in sportswear-buying and those less involved. Those with a high level of involvement were found to prioritize sports performance over comfort. Those with a low level of involvement were shown to place a greater emphasis on comfort.
Sportswear brands in particular have been intensely competing to get an opportunity to prove the value of their new technology and products through sports sponsorship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among sports involvement, the attitude toward sports sponsorship carried by sportswear brands, brand equity, and purchase intention of the products of the sponsor's brand. The study was implemented though a descriptive survey method using a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 455 men (n=289) and women (n=166) in their twenties, residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis of structural equation modeling. The results revealed that sports involvement has an influence on the consumers' attitudes toward sports sponsorship performed by sportswear brands. Also, the sports sponsorship attitude of consumers had an influence on the brand equity and purchase intention toward the sponsor's brand products. It was notable that the attitude toward the manner of sponsoring of the sponsor than the contents itself of the sports event sponsored had an influence more on brand loyalty. Among the component factors of brand equity, brand loyalty showed the biggest impact on purchase intention. Considering the results, in order for sports sponsorship to be more effective, sports involvement of the target market should be considered more carefully.