Influence of Consumer-Based Brand Equity on the Purchase Intention of Wearable Activity Tracker Brands

Abstract

Wearable activity tracking (WAT) devices enable consumers to monitor their health and activity levels. Some of these devices can keep track of blood-oxygen levels, temperature, and heart-rate data and became increasingly important during and especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase in popularity of these products led to a surge in competition among WAT brands that needs to find strategic approaches to stand out. Brand equity perceptions add extra value to the brand and is a key differentiating factor in a competitive environment. While the wearables market is expanding rapidly, there is little evidence of consumers’ perceived brand equity and its relation to their purchase of WAT device brands. This study aimed to investigate the effect of consumer-based brand equity dimensions on purchase intention of WAT brands, based on Aaker’s seminal conceptual framework. Data was collected from 487 South African consumers aged 18-56 using a computer-administered online survey guided by a descriptive research design. The path coefficients of the structural model suggest that quality perception, brand loyalty and brand association are significant drivers of WAT purchase intention, whereas brand awareness was not significant. The findings of this study have several theoretical and managerial implications. This study is among the first to investigate the influence of consumer-based brand equity in the context of wearable technology adoption. These results enable WAT brands to optimise their marketing strategy and identify areas of improvement to boost their sales and market share in South Africa and beyond.

Keywords

• branding
• consumer-based brand equity
• south africa
• wearable activity trackers