Professional sport teams and fan loyalty programs: A perceived value perspective


Masayuki Yoshida
Brian S. Gordon
David P. Hedlund

ABSTRACT

The management of loyalty programs has become a central tenet behind the logic of customer relationship management (CRM; Bolton, Kannan, & Bramlett, 2000; Verhoef, 2003; Yi & Jeon, 2003). In the sport industry, many sport organizations including sporting goods manufacturers, retailers, and professional sport teams, attempt to build enduring relationships with their customers by rewarding repeat consumers through loyalty programs. For example, rewarding loyal fans based on attendance and purchase levels has become common in the spectator sport industry (Bee & Kahle, 2006; Yoshida, Gordon, Heere, & James, 2015a). Even sporting goods manufacturers such as Nike and Adidas have launched flagship retail stores offering reward programs. In general, “the goal of these programs is to establish a higher level of customer retention in profitable segments by providing increased satisfaction and value to certain customers” (Bolton et al., 2000, p. 95).

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