An Integrated Model of Factors Affecting Consumer Sport Brand Loyalty in Thailand in the Digital Era
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research aimed to (1) investigate the levels of digital marketing factors, brand image and credibility, customer experience and engagement, psychological and motivational factors, and sport brand loyalty among Thai consumers; and (2) examine the causal relationships among these variables. While previous studies have examined these factors in isolation, this research addresses a gap by developing an integrated model that combines the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework with Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in the Thai sports industry. The sample consisted of 400 consumers who had purchased sports brand products in Thailand at least twice within the past six months, selected via purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results revealed that Brand Image and Credibility had the most substantial positive effect on loyalty (β = 0.356, p < .001), followed by Customer Experience and Engagement (β = 0.278, p < .01). Psychological and Motivational Factors (β = 0.241, p < .05) and Digital Marketing Factors (β = 0.214, p < .01) also significantly contributed to the model. The combined factors explained 67.4% of the variance in sport brand loyalty (Adjusted R2 = 0.674). The findings indicate that while digital marketing initiates interaction, credibility and psychological fulfillment are the primary drivers of retention. Managerial implication: Sport brands should prioritize building authenticity and trust over mere digital exposure to ensure long-term loyalty.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Views and opinions appearing in articles in the Journal of Arts of Management It is the responsibility of the author of the article. and does not constitute the view and responsibility of the editorial team I agree that the article is copyright of the Arts and Management Journal.
References
Aaker, D. A. (1991). Managing brand equity. Free Press.
Ali, S. M. S., Dakshinamurthy, T., Priyadarshi, P., Mittal, M., S N., & Sanjay, K. (2025). Consumer trust in digital brands: The role of transparency and ethical marketing. Advances in Consumer Research, 2(1), 106-114.
Ayasanond, C., Tiyapunjanit, P., Surisrabhan, R., & Anurit, P. J. (2025). The influence of brand image on consumer loyalty toward cosmetics in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Arts of Management Journal, 9(4), 200-216. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jam/article/view/280522
Balagouda S. P., Stalin S. J., Jain, S., Varghese, G. R., & Varghese, N. R. (2025). Investigating psychological factors impacting brand loyalty and consumer psychology. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 5(1), 2447-2456. https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v5i1.2248
Bertram, M. (2023). The power of transparency in digital marketing: Building trust with your audience. EWR Digital. https://www.ewrdigital.com/blog/power-of-transparency-digital-marketing/
Chaudhuri, A., & Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust affects brand performance. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.65.2.81.18255
Department of Business Development. (2023). Thai sport and athleisure market report 2023. Ministry of Commerce.
Field, A. (2020). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage.
Gheorghe, J. (2024). Sports marketing and management: strategies for success in the digital age. Review of International Comparative Management, 25(3). 586-594. DOI: 10.24818/RMCI.2024.3.586
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage.
Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic brand management. Pearson Education.
Lazaris, C., Vrechopoulos, A., Sarantopoulos, P., & Doukidis, G. (2022). additive omnichannel atmospheric cues: The mediating effects of cognitive and affective responses on purchase intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102731
Li, C. (2024). Psychological factors influencing consumer purchases in the sports goods market: Insights and strategies. Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, 41, 542-545. https://doi.org/10.54097/aew6n176
Matosas-López, L. (2025). The influence of brand credibility and brand loyalty on customer satisfaction and continued use intention in new voice assistance services based on AI. Journal of Market Analytics, 13, 180–201. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-023-00278-8
Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. MIT.
Mohammadi, S. (2025). Perspective chapter: The psychology of brand loyalty in sports – a micro perspective. Consumer Behavior – Micro, Meso, and Macro Perspective, 5772, 1-13. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.1010188
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty?. Journal of Marketing, 63(4), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252099
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Salem, S. F., & Alanadoly, A. B. (2023). Driving customer engagement and citizenship behavior in omnichannel retailing: Evidence from the fashion sector. Spanish Journal of Marketing ESIC, 28(2), 98–122. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-10-2022-0220
Statista. (2025). Global sports market size 2025 report. Statista Research Department. https://www.statista.com/statistics/370560/worldwide-sports-market-revenue/
Stegmann, P., Ströbel, T., & Woratschek, H. (2024). categorizing engagement behavior in sport brand communities–an empirical study informed by social practice theory. Sport Management Review, 27(4), 544–571. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2024.2329826
Truong, T. H. O., Dang, L. D., & Phan, H. L. (2025). Effect of seamless omnichannel experience on sustainable fashion consumption: A mediated and moderated model. In The international Conference on Management, Business, Economics, Law, and Technology (COMBELT-2025), August 1st, 2025, Danang, Vietnam.
Urdea, A., & Constantin, C. (2021). Exploring the impact of customer experience on customer loyalty in e-commerce. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 15(1), 672-682. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2021-0063
Widjajanta, B., Dirgantari, P. D., & Artanti, R. N. (2025). The influence of brand image and brand credibility on brand loyalty. In Proceedings of the 9th Global Conference on Business, Management and Entrepreneurship (GCBME 2024). DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6463-817-2_67
