A Measurement Development of Customer Loyalty to Online Running Events

Abstract

The growth of running events has created a number of participants and running organizers around the world. Due to the COVID-19, many running events have been canceled or postponed. To earn revenue, running events have changed from a physical venue to online. As new normal, running event organizers need to find the means to attract participants and gradually turn them into loyal customers. This study aims to explore factors of online running events influencing participants’ loyalty based on the concept of event quality. A purposive sample of 400 runners is collected to assess the reliability and construct validity of the multi-dimensional factors of online running event. These factors include customer service, website design, and service outcome. The results propose a new framework for online running event factors affecting participants’ loyalty. Event organizers can apply it to match participants’ preferences and create successful online running events and other related sports.