The effect of peripheral service quality on the purchase intentions of fitness centre customers in Tehran

Abstract

The service quality in sports organisations has become one of the important aspects which can affect the success of these organisations. On the other hand, the costumers’ intention to purchase the services of fitness centres has also attracted the attention of many researchers. This study aims to determine the effect of peripheral service quality on the purchase intention of fitness centre customers through the mediating role of the organisational brand. The sample consisted of a total of 386 users of fitness centres in Tehran. An online questionnaire was used for data collection which involved 44 items from five separate scales. Smart PLS-SEM software was used for confirmatory factor analysis and to test a structural equation model. The findings provide an insight into the importance of peripheral service quality in the creation and development of brand personality, brand trust and brand equity. Further, with regard to intention to repurchase, the results show that the variables of brand personality, brand trust and brand equity have a subsequent direct effect. This study provides an important advance in the academic literature related to the significance of service quality (especially peripheral services) in the fitness industry, and the results facilitate a better understanding of the consumer’s intention to purchase.