Sport nostalgia builds customer equity and future behavior

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among nostalgia, customer equity and behavioral intentions. Specifically, consumers' intentions of purchase and word of mouth were assessed in this study. Design/methodology/approach A total of 272 responses were collected from football fans in Singapore. This study conducted partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses using SmartPLS 3.0. Findings Results showed that the paths from nostalgia to value equity, brand equity and relationship equity were significant, whereas the direct influence of nostalgia on revisit intention and word-of-mouth intention was not found. In addition, value equity, brand equity and relationship equity positively affected intentions of revisitation and word of mouth. Originality/value The findings contribute to expanding the literature by introducing nostalgia and providing theoretical and practical implications, which enable marketers and managers to predict consumers' behavior and optimize their customer equity.