Who is more influenced by customer equity drivers? A moderator analysis in a professional soccer context

Abstract

Despite the recent progress in understanding consumer moderators, much of this work has focused on the satisfaction-behavioral intentions link. There is a lack of research regarding the potential moderating effects of consumer variables on the relationship between the three dimensions of customer equity (value, brand, and relationship equity) and behavioral intentions. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine how the effects of value, brand, and relationship equity on consumer behavioral intentions are enhanced by demographic (age and gender) and relational (season-ticket purchase) moderators. Furthermore, this study views brand equity as a psychological moderator and attempts to investigate the moderating effects of brand equity on the relationships between value equity, relationship equity, and behavioral intentions. Data were collected from spectators at a professional soccer event in Japan (n=383). The results indicate that the effect of brand equity on behavioral intentions is positive and significant, while relationship equity has positive effects on both brand equity and behavioral intentions. A series of moderator analyses using the multi-group SEM method revealed that the influences of brand and relationship equity on behavioral intentions are stronger for younger consumers, men, and season-ticket holders than for older consumers, women, and non-season-ticket holders. Moreover, the moderator analyses verified that the effect of value equity on behavioral intentions was positive and significant only for those spectators belonging to the low brand equity categorization. The research findings, contributions, and directions for future research are discussed.