Abstract

Key Words: Consumer’s behavior, soccer shoes, sport, Hong Kong

Introduction
Background of study
The current study would be considering a few important soccer shoes brands companies like
Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma in detail which will help us to do a comparative study on the
impact of consumer buying behavior and preferences in Hong Kong.

This study will take a closer look at some of the major soccer shoe brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok
and Puma to help you do a comparative study of the impact of shopping behavior and consumer
preferences in Hong Kong.

Definition of problems
The study proposes research into the attitudes of consumers towards soccer shoes of different
popular sports brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma within Hong Kong. It is important to
understand how customers perceive and select brands in specific product categories and market
segments. An in depth study on the impact of advertisements in newspapers/ Televisions and
the different promotions on their products will be analysed as it is also essential to know what is
important to customers when making a brand decision, where customers get information about
products and services, and what customers think about your brand.

This study aims to investigate consumer attitudes towards soccer shoes from various popular sports
brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma in Hong Kong. It is important to understand how
customers perceive and select brands within specific product categories and market segments. A
detailed study will be conducted on the impact of newspaper / TV advertisements and various
promotions on products. What is important for customers when deciding on a brand is also important to
know where and how customers receive information about a product or service and what do customers
think of your brand?

Literature Review
Sport and play have become some of the most important elements in human life as they
contribute to physical and mental health. Today, people try to participate in all sporting activities
to develop team spirit, psychological resilience, constructive use of time, self-confidence, and
determination. This has led to rapid growth in industries such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok and
Puma. These industries are now competing with each other to become global leaders in the
sports industry through innovative branding and marketing strategies to attract more
customers.

De Cernatoni and MacDonald (1992) describe brands as "identifiable products and services that
are equipped to enable buyers or users to recognize unique added value that is more relevant
and relevant to their needs, people, or places." De Cernatoni (1999) identifies two core values
that contribute to the premium of the brand. Brand awareness is the ability of consumers to
identify a brand in various situations and is reflected in brand awareness and memory (Kotler &
Lane, 2006). Brand recall refers to the ability of consumers to extract brands from memory
(Keller, 1993). Consistent with the enhanced measure of brand equity, consumer-based brand
equity is described in four dimensions. Brand awareness, brand relevance, perceived quality, and
brand loyalty (Pappu et al. 2005). Brand awareness is defined as the ability of consumers to
identify or recognize a brand (Rossiter and Percy, 1987). This refers to the strength of the
brand's presence in the minds of consumers. There are several levels of brand awareness, from
low brand awareness to proficiency (Aaker, 1991). Brands today perform many important
functions that improve the lives of consumers and increase the economic value of the company
(Kotler & Lane, 2006). Brand awareness and perceived brand quality are key factors in
establishing and maintaining brand fairness. There is a positive relationship between brand
awareness, perceived quality, and brand fairness (Aker, 1996, Buzzell & Gate, 1987).

Schiffinan and Kanuk (2004) define consumer behavior as the behavior that customers show
when they find, buy, use, evaluate, and dispose of the products and services they want to meet
their needs. .. Consumer purchasing behavior includes the behavior of those directly involved in
the acquisition, use, and disposal of economic goods and services, and includes the decision-
making processes that precede such behavior (Huctings1995). .. Lamb, Hair, and McDartiel
(1992) states that consumer behavior is the study of the processes by which consumers make
purchase decisions, as well as the use and disposal of goods and services purchased. It also
includes an analysis of the factors that influence decisions about product purchase and use.
Santon, Etzel, and Walker (1994) argue that consumers are inherently complex and constantly
changing. Therefore, marketers need to understand the buying behavior of current and potential
customers (Lancaster1998). From the perspective of the right consumer, the results can be very
good for the manufacturer. Lamb, Volos, and McDaniel (1992) argue that knowledge of
consumer behavior reduces uncertainty in marketing mix design.

Mahatu (1985) defines a consumer behavior decision-making process that begins before a
purchase and consists of a series of steps that go beyond the buying process itself.

Aim and Objectives

The main motive of this project is to understand the buying behavior of consumers. There are
different reasons and factors behind consumer’s preference of a product. So by understanding
these factors we can understand the nature of the consumers of different segments and how
we can make improvement in the product so that we can have loyal consumers about soccer
shoes.
Significance of the study

The research study will be significance because it helps to know the personal views of people
regarding choices among various branded soccer shoes in Hong Kong. The researcher will study
which branded soccer shoes is mostly preferred by people as per their choices and also
comparison between various branded soccer shoes. The research study will also find out factor
influencing the people at the time of purchasing soccer shoes brand, durability, price and
comfort.

Methodology
This study will conduct the research on the Hong Kong people regarding their purchase of soccer
shoes. This research will include 60 consumers who purchasing the soccer shoes. These
consumers will be selected using the simple random method. Quantitative method will be used to
determine the results of the research. Questionnaires will be distributed to the consumers to fill it
for the research work. The data will be collected from the Sport markets of Hong Kong.

Quantitative Method
Quantitative methods emphasize on the measurement of statistical analysis for the data collected
through questionnaires. Pattern of questions that we will use in questionnaire is structured. In
case of units of measurement we will use nominal, ordinal and ratio scale. Quantitative methods
are used to conduct the research for the large population. In this research we will be using open
structured questions for consumers to gather the information from the participants. In this
research it is difficult to gather accurate information as consumers are involved and will not
share the true information about their preferences and consumers behaviors regarding their
purchase.

Survey Questions
As the questionnaire is self-administrated one, the survey is kept simple and user friendly. Words
used in questionnaire are readily understandable to all respondent. The researcher has made the
questionnaire in which questions are according to the research and these are convenience for the
respondent.
Dependent variable: Consumer buying behavior.
Independent variable: Age, income, brand and advertisement.
The possible questions of the questionnaires are as under:

 Does brand perception influence the buying behaviour of consumers with regard
to purchase of soccer shoes?

 Does pricing affect the buying behaviour of the consumers in Hong Kong?

 Does the annual income of consumers influence their buying behaviour of soccer
shoe brands in Hong Kong?

 What are consumers preferences in choosing soccer shoes?

 How much would spend on a pair of soccer shoes?

 How often do you buy soccer shoes?

 What are your preferences to buy a new pair of soccer shoes?

 Which brand do you prefer in soccer shoe?

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The research study might have some limitations presented below:

 A survey will involve a larger sample size otherwise the findings of the survey cannot be
generalized.
 But a larger sample size may increase the time and cost of collecting the primary data
with the help of Questionnaire
 Many of the respondents might not be willing to fill the questionnaire.

 Some people may not be willing to respond and few of them who responded may be in
hurry hence the active participation will lack.

 Another problem that we will face is that people will be hesitating to give information
about their views freely.

Action Plan and timeline

The duration for this research to get completed is for 4 to 5 months. All the information will be
gathered during this time also the questionnaires with the consumers will be included in this
time. The data collection from consumers will also take some time. The timeline for the
questionnaires will be 4 to 5 weeks which will include the cross checking from missing data or
wrong entry. For observations to be analyzed a proper checklist will be used. The data will be
analyzed by using different statistical test such as descriptive statistics and regression analysis.
Results of the research study undertaken will be presented in the form of tables will detailed
interpretations. Lastly different pie and bar charts will represent the results for interpretation and
will be easier to understand the results.

Proposed Procedures and Actions

The results of this research will be based on the data in the information that will be collected
from the questionnaires of the consumer’s behavior regarding their purchase of soccer shoes. The
data will be analyzed by different statistical test and presented in the form of table and charts.
The SPSS software will be used for the analysis of the data. This analysis will show the results of
how consumer behavior will impact the purchase decision of the soccer shoes. In conclusion, this
research will enable us to understand the information on the consumer behavior of purchasing
soccer shoes in the Hong Kong market and its impact on popularity of brand and improvement of
the soccer sport industry in Hong Kong.
References