Consumer behavior in esports merchandise: A quantitative study on Thai market

Abstract

This paper investigates the consumer behavior in esports merchandise specifically in Thai market, focusing on the factors that influence purchase intention among fans of esports in Thailand. For factors that are focused on in this paper include: Perceived Product Quality/Design, Social Influence, Utilitarian Motivation, and Emotional Attachment, with Purchase Intention as the dependent variable. The primary objective is to identify the key determinants of purchase intention and to provide strategic insights for esports teams and related businesses on how to design, promote, and sell merchandise more effectively. A quantitative research approach was employed, using a structured online questionnaire distributed to Thai respondents aged 18 and above. A total of 322 valid responses were collected and analyzed using SPSS. Statistical methods included descriptive statistics to profile the respondents, reliability analysis (Cronbach’s Alpha) to confirm the consistency of the measurement scales, Pearson correlation to test the relationships among variables, and multiple linear regression to identify the most influential predictors of purchase intention. These findings highlight the importance of emotional connection and product quality in driving merchandise sales, suggesting that external social pressure and functional value alone are insufficient to motivate purchase in this context.