Basketball Shoes: Women’s Preferences and Purchasing Behaviour

Abstract

<p>Women have played basketball since the game was invented over 130 years ago, yet they are overlooked when designing and marketing basketball shoes, which default to men’s styles, fit and sizing. Multiple phases of inquiry were used to determine women’s basketball shoe preferences and purchasing behaviour including: a content analysis of basketball shoes (n=61) from Nike, Adidas and Under Armour websites, interviews with female basketball players (n=6) and visual analysis of their personal shoes (n= 16). Data was categorized according to functional, aesthetic, and expressive attributes. The findings reveal information pertaining to brand perception, product assortment, fit issues, design and colour preferences, shopping challenges and solutions. The results reinforce the need to consider anthropometric data regarding the size and shape of women’s feet and suggest opportunities for improved design, namely, collaboration with professional female athletes to create a signature shoe. The findings are important to product developers, designers, and retailers.</p>