Design and Product Development

BASKETBALL SHOES: WOMEN’S PREFERENCES AND PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR

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Abstract

Basketball shoes are often designed with just men in mind. This inspired a life long basketball player to explore women’s basketball preferences and what shoes are on the market for women. The guiding research questions for the study were: What factors influence the purchasing behaviors of female basketball players in Canada when choosing basketball shoes? How does this compare to the selection of basketball shoes being sold and targeted towards women? Multiple phases of inquiry were used, which included a content analysis of 61 basketball shoes from Nike, Adidas and Under Armour, as well as interviews with female college and university basketball players in Ontario (n=6). The results found women felt there was a lack of quality basketball shoes made for them, consequently women buy men’s or children’s basketball shoes. The results reveal issues women have with their basketball shoes. These findings are important for product designers, marketers and retailers.

Keywords: Basketball Shoes, FEA Model, Human Centred Design, Female Althetes

How to Cite:

Morris, K. R. & Tullio-Pow, S. R., (2022) “BASKETBALL SHOES: WOMEN’S PREFERENCES AND PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13453