Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the intention of using fitness app made available by the fitness centre to its members and their relationship with overall customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: The present study uses the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) as the base model. All the hypothesised relationships were tested through partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), in a quantitative study with data from 1,676 fitness consumers from Portugal.Findings: The results support the ability of UTAUT2 in predicting the customer´s intention to use the fitness app. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and habit have a positive impact on behavioural intentions to use the fitness app. Performance expectancy and habit have the strongest relationships. Behavioural intentions are positively related both to the usage behaviour of the fitness app and to overall customer satisfaction.Practical implications: The results of this study present a strong contribution for fitness centre managers, since it highlights the importance of using these apps as a way to increase customer satisfaction, increasing retention levels.Originality/value: This study is paramount as regards to examine the behavioural intention to use the fitness apps that the fitness centres make available to their members using UTAUT2 model.

The study of satisfaction has been the focus of much research in the area of marketing, in particular, on the nature of the relationships fostered by satisfaction between the service and the consumer. In the present study, global satisfaction, measured in the long term, is evaluated with respect to three constructs: expectations, facilities and loyalty. Expectations are considered as an innovative construct in their relationship with the consumer satisfaction in the Health and Fitness Clubs (HFC). Facilities are measured in the short term in order to evaluate the satisfaction by attributes, that is, all of the aspects encountered in using the various services provided by the HFCs. Loyalty is analysed by means of repeat purchases, recommendations to third parties and the frequency of use. The sample from a questionnaire comprises 463 respondents who are clients of two HFCs in the Greater Lisbon suburb of Oeiras, Portugal. The results suggest that satisfaction is an intermediate variable that is positively related to various other constructs and of crucial importance in determining the loyalty in HFCs.

Previous studies have suggested that consumption-related emotions are important to understand post-purchase reactions. This study examines the relationship between fitness consumers' emotions and overall satisfaction. After an initial step of free-thought listing and content validity, followed by a pre-test, a survey was conducted among consumers of five different fitness centers (n=786). The questionnaire included measures to assess positive and negative emotions, as well as overall satisfaction with the fitness center. The results gathered through a structural equation model provide evidence that negative emotion experienced by consumers impacts negatively overall satisfaction, while positive emotion have a positive effect on overall satisfaction. These findings suggest managerial implications, such as the need to collect consumers' perceptions of both tangible and intangible aspects of the services, listen costumers' opinions in a regular basis, and provide regular training to staff members, in order to identify the triggers of positive emotions and contribute to increased levels of overall satisfaction. Guidelines for future research within the fitness context are also suggested.

Purpose: Despite to useful relevance to better understand how group-level identity develops, few studies have explored the identity theory in the esports field and, in particular, considering the impact of a fan's role identity. The current study aims to explore esports fan role-identity vis-à-vis the relationship with the sponsor and the sponsee so as to understand the effects on their behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample of 356 esports fans who attended the 2021 FPF eFootball Open Challenge, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) analyzed the psychometric properties of the constructs and a subsequent Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) examined the effects of fan identity on two types of behavioral intentions and sponsor–sponsee relationship.Findings: Results indicate that fans who highly identify with esports have the highest attachment to the event and tend toward having a positive word-of-mouth intention. Esports fans who have a higher brand identification reported a positive attitude toward the event's sponsor brand and tend to purchase its products. Moreover, the study findings also provide evidence of the bidirectional interaction between the way in which fans attach with the esports event and its sponsor brand, leading to greater reciprocity in their identity formation.Originality/value: This study helps to understand how the fan identity process can enhance its fate and develop mutually, building role overlapping identity in the esports sponsor–sponsee relationship. Complementarily, it supports of how the marketeers and managers must analyze the importance of being a fan to the individual in order to understand how its self-identity can shape the future behavior.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of member identity and its dimensions of power, urgency, external legitimacy, internal legitimacy and interest, on satisfaction and behavioural intentions in fitness centres.Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were designed. In Study 1, data were collected from fitness centre members (n = 225) and structural equation modelling used to examine the dimensions of fitness centre member identity and its subsequent effect on satisfaction and behavioural intentions. In Study 2, interviews exploring member identity were conducted with members (n = 9) and managers (n = 7) and a content analysis contrasted their perceptions of power, urgency, internal legitimacy, external legitimacy and interest.Findings: The results of Study 1 support the multidimensional construct of member identity and its positive influence on both satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Satisfaction mediated the relationship between member identity and behavioural intentions. In Study 2, managers and members expressed similar perceptions of the member identity dimensions: low power; urgency is issue-dependent; external legitimacy is recognized; members are perceived as legitimate; and most members exhibit high interest in their membership.Originality/value: This study provides a deeper understanding of how member identity contributes to long-term relationships between members and fitness centres. It extends the body of consumer behaviour literature in the context of fitness centres.

Currently, the use of technological devices for monitoring physical activity and in other mobile applications is widespread among sports users and is continuously growing. The aim of this study was the validation of the reliability of the use of Wearable Fitness Technology (WFT) in the context of fitness through quantitative analysis. Data collection was conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The sample consisted of 177 members of fitness centres who used MYZONE technology in Portugal. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (Factor v10) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) (AMOS v22.0) were used to test the item fit. The results showed adequate fits, identifying a total of 14 items in a single factor to assess WFT in MYZONE users in fitness centres. The reliability of the scale showed adequate indices within the indicated limits. This study extends the current literature on WFT; provides information for providers, managers, and members; and aims to improve the fitness experience by developing a valid and reliable tool to assess the characteristics and incidence of WFT in fitness centres. The complexity of the WFT will affect the degree of user engagement with the fitness centre, highlighting the importance of using staff skills to generate motivational and innovative challenges to improve the service experience. Furthermore, this scale could be used to examine the influences of WFT on managers’ and members’ perceptions of the service experience in the Portuguese context.