Examining the effects of website‐induced flow in professional sporting team websites

Abstract

Purpose: This paper seeks to contribute to the internet marketing literature by examining the impact of flow on consumers' satisfaction, aroused feelings, website loyalty and word‐of‐mouth behaviours. Design/methodology/approach: A self‐administered online questionnaire was used for data collection through a market research firm which randomly selected individuals of its online panel. Participants were asked to recall a recent encounter with their preferred professional sport website and refer to that website regarding their answers. Data were gathered from 400 consumers from a variety of professional sporting teams. The variables under investigation in the study were measured using established scales from the marketing literature and adapted to the context of the study. Findings: The results indicate that a compelling online experience related to sporting team websites as represented by flow experiences appears to be a driver of positive aroused feelings, higher satisfaction levels, as well as website loyalty and positive word‐of‐mouth of sport consumers. Research limitations/implications: The sample of the study is restricted to consumer evaluations from a specific website‐service context being the professional sport sector. The empirical relationships between flow, aroused feelings, consumer satisfaction, website loyalty and word of mouth reported in the study are tentative in the sense that they are based on cross‐sectional data. Practical implications: The study provides important implications for flow theory development and implications for internet marketing strategy, especially for professional sporting teams. Originality/value: The paper adds to the literature by investigating the relationship between flow and consequent outcomes of encounters and experiences of sporting team websites. Little research has addressed flow, and its effect on aroused feelings, consumer satisfaction and website‐related loyalty intentions, especially in the domain of professional sport websites.