Generation Y Customers’ Experience with Sneaker Brands: A Brand Image Model Validation

The South African sneaker market has seen significant sales growth, especially among Generation Y, outpacing other footwear categories. This surge in sales has attracted various brands to the market, offering customers ample choices and fostering powerful competition among sneaker manufacturers. To remain competitive and bolster their brand image, sneaker manufacturers continually innovate by developing improved sneaker brands. However, no validated brand image scale is currently specific to the South African context, creating a gap in understanding customer experiences. This study aimed to develop and validate a sneaker brand image model encompassing five factors: brand image, sneaker features, price, peer influence, and uniqueness. Such a scale would provide insights into consumer perceptions, enabling brands to effectively refine their strategies and enhance customer experiences. The research was quantitative in nature and the mall intercept approach was used for data collection. A survey was administered via self-report questionnaires, collecting data from a convenience sample of 400 Generation Y students between the ages of 18 and 24 years. To analyze the results, a confirmatory factor analysis was done using AMOS, as well as reliability and validity assessments, correlation analysis, and multicollinearity analysis. The results indicate that the five-factor model, encompassing brand image, sneaker features, price, peer influence, and uniqueness, is a reliable and valid model for measuring the perceived image of sneaker brands among the Generation Y sneaker market. The measurement model exhibits excellent model fit, thereby verifying its psychometric properties for further analysis using path analysis.