An Identification and Prioritization of Factors Affecting Brand Preferences of Sporting Goods Using AHP

The aim of this study was to analyze the factors affecting brand preferences of sporting goods by AHP. This study was survey and application in terms of methodology and aim. The statistical population consisted of the customers of sporting goods stores in Tabriz city. Because of the unlimited population, 384 subjects were selected by simple random sampling method. For data collection, brand preference questionnaire of Samie Nasr et al. (2011) with a confirmed reliability and validity was used. In order to identify preference factors, confirmatory factor analysis was applied and to prioritize those factors, AHP was used by Expert Choice11 and Lisrel software. Results showed that innovation, differentiation, perceived quality, reputation, honesty, association and brand attraction with factor loads higher than 0.6 were factors affecting brand preference in sporting goods. Also, AHP results showed a significant difference between prioritization and weighing of preference factors. Brand perceived quality, brand differentiation and brand innovation with a weight of 0.225, 0.218 and 0.177 respectively were the most important factors affecting brand preference. Consequently, attention to these effective factors can help sporting goods manufacturers produce sporting goods tailored to the needs and interests of consumers.