Data Collection Process - Doc

Running head: CUSTOMER PREFERENCES OF ESPORTS MERCHANDISE
Customer preferences of esports merchandise
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Background of the Study.................................................................................................................4
Rationale of the Study.....................................................................................................................5
Literature Review............................................................................................................................7
Introduction......................................................................................................................................7
Marketing strategies and marketing mixes of eSports Merchandize Company:...........................10
Product:......................................................................................................................................11
Pricing:.......................................................................................................................................12
Place:..........................................................................................................................................12
Promotion:.................................................................................................................................13
STP of eSportsMerchandize Company:.........................................................................................13
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................14
Introduction....................................................................................................................................14
Research Objectives.......................................................................................................................15
Method Outline..............................................................................................................................15
Research Philosophy......................................................................................................................16
Research Approach........................................................................................................................16
Research Design............................................................................................................................16

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Research Strategy..........................................................................................................................17
Selection of Sampling Methods and Sample size..........................................................................17
Data Collection Process.................................................................................................................17
Data Analysis Technique...............................................................................................................17
Research Population......................................................................................................................18
Sampling Method and Sampling Size............................................................................................18
Ethical Considerations...................................................................................................................18
Summary........................................................................................................................................19
References......................................................................................................................................20
Appendix........................................................................................................................................22

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Introduction
E-Sports, also known as electronic sports consists of competitive video gaming or
professional gaming as a part of competition in the video game sector. It is in the form of video
game competitions involving several players, especially those who are in the professional levels.
The common form of video game categories are related to real- time strategies (RTS), first-
person shooter (FPS), fighting and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). The types of
tournaments involved in eSports are The International, The League of Legends World
Championship, the Evolution Championship Series, the Intel Extreme Masters and others pave
the way for broadcasting the competition live and also provide reward to the participants (Wu
and Li 2018).
A systematic approach of online and offline competitions have always been a tradition in
the video game industry. Initially the competition was held among the novice players, however,
later it got transformed to professional level where the competition takes place among the skilled
players of eSports. Apart from that, the audience and spectatorship for the sports has also
increased rapidly. Therefore there are many game developers who intend to make money by
designing a perfect environment for eSports. The popularity of the video game industry has
provided opportunity for the increase in sale of the merchandise. eSports merchandise is an
integral part of the eSports sector and the customer preference needs to be considered in this
respect (Gainsbury, Abarbanel and Blaszczynski 2017).
Background of the Study
The individuals involved in the designing, creating and selling of eSports are current
days, some of the passionate gamers in the world. In the current days, the game developers have
got the scope to increase their income through the digital products. The reason behind this is that

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the market of eSports merchandise is increasing due to customers’ inclination towards these
kinds of products. The market for digital products is valued at $37B and digital purchase is
responsible for increasing a lot of revenue (Hamari and Sjöblom 2017).
However, the customer preference towards the eSports merchandise is the area of
research for this particular paper. As there is a lack of tangible connection in eSports therefore
the players sometimes lose the feeling of commitment. Often they are only purchased for the
sake of consuming as a part of daily activities. There are instances of customers investing $1- $5
in digital gaming products which is passing the benefits to the game developing companies to
release $50 + products in the market (Ozuem, Borrelli and Lancaster 2017). The preference of
the customers towards these products and the reason behind it will be discussed in this research
paper.
This research paper will look for the popularity of the eSports merchandise among the
customers and their opinion about the same. There will be an outline of the previous researches
carried out in this subject and the methods used for gathering opinion from the research
participants. The customer preference plays a major role in this research and therefore surveys
will be conducted to know their opinion about the eSports merchandise andtheir preference about
the same. For thisparticular research, Riot Games Inc will be focused to fulfill the objectives of
research problem.
Rationale of the Study
Riot Games is an American company which excels in the development and publishing of
video games and organizing tournaments for the participants. The company is headquartered at
the western part of Los Angeles in California. Apart from USA, they have offices located in

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Tokyo, Berlin, Taipei, Dublin, Sydney, Seoul, Hong Kong, Moscow and other places. This
company was popular for initiating the League of the Legends on 27 October 2009 in Europe and
North America. They have also created a free game for mobile devices, Blitzcrank’sPoro
Roundup which is supported in Android and iOS. The company is indulged in the competition of
League of the Legends World Championship and Championship series for Europe and North
America (Funk 2017).
As a background to this research topic, the Riot Games Inc was focused along with the
functions carried out by it to gather information about customer preference of eSports
merchandise. The first game which was introduced by this company used a model of free- to-
play to support the smaller transactions instead of the advertisements or boxed copy sales. The
merchandise sale of the company was highlighted to know about its market preference among
the customers. They had started their business initially with a funding of US$7 million as
sponsored by the Benchmark Capital and first mark Capital. Moreover they have got a second
funding from Tencent holdings (Foutz 2017).
In this research paper it will be discussed that the Riot Games Inc. made use of the
funding to build up a wonderful gaming arena for the eSports fans. It will be found out from the
survey that what were the reason behind pulling a whole lot of consumers towards this vibrant
sector and the factors that led to the sale of merchandise. The previous literature will help in
finding out if the popularity remained same from the initial days of video games introduction. It
will be gathered from the survey if the trend in inclination towards eSports is new and what are
the factors responsible for it. It will also be found out through this research that why the
customers are developing certain liking for the eSports merchandise and how Riot games became
successful in the industry (Chao 2017).

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The concrete experience of the customers and the increasing revenue in the industry are
gaining momentum. The reason behind this is that the digital market is consuming a greater
value of $13B. In this case the instance of Angry Bird eSports merchandise can be considered
where the particular company Rovio has got an increase of 40% of the entire $200 million
revenue. Gradually the industry is boosting with more number of competitors and players
involving in eSports and the companies are getting the scope to become easily available in the
market. Therefore, the emergence of physical merchandise cannot be regarded only as comeback
(Alopaeus 2016).
Literature Review
Introduction
Along with the recognition for the need of studying eSports in modern day’s interactive
digital communication, the study has explored various motivational factors, which affect
consumers’ preferences over eSports Merchandise. The most competitive form of video gaming,
eSports is the growing industry which is being preferred by millions of viewers and active
players all across the world. According to Wu and Li (2018), it is being seen as the digital sport,
instead of an ordinary element and it has much resemblance with the traditional sports. However,
with the possibility of targeting, marketing, communicating and selling supplements to the digital
athletics, eSports have managed to win the hearts of its target consumers.
As per Gainsbury, Abarbanel, B. and Blaszczynski (2017) opinion, gamers have some
existing needs and demands, which can only be fulfilled by the consumption of the dietary
supplements. The potential market size is being combined with the positive attitudes or behaviors
and the identified needs or demands towards the eSports products or merchandises, giving

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evidence of the significant market gaps and opportunities to be explored by other brands. In the
words of Hamari and Sjöblo (2017), the brands and organizations need to develop some
strategies and address the consumers by targeting with the right gaming tactic, using the eSports
channels.
eSports offers its customers with a wide range of apparels, starting from eSports games
tees to official clan teams like Envy, Virtus Pro, CLG, fnatic, SK Gaming, NiP and Cloud9.Font-
i-Furnols and Guerrero (2014) stated that the behaviors of the target audiences consuming the
products of eSports tend to provide a marginal significance. This provides the marketers with the
specific chance of fulfilling their strategic goals and increased market shares and purchasing
behavior among the consumers. In addition to this, Wu and Li (2018) classified the consumer
behavior or changing preferences into decisions as well as actions, which influence their
purchasing or buying pattern.
It is important to take into consideration, the factors that drive the consumers to choose a
particular product or service, in respect to others. Majority of the selection procedure involved
while purchasing an item is based upon reasoning and emotions. The same factor impacts upon
the consumers who tend to buy eSports merchandises or products, over others. As per Hosany
and Martin (2012), studying the buying patterns of the consumers not only help the marketers to
understand their changing preferences, but also helps them in gaining an understanding regarding
the future.
In the words of Godey et al. (2016), there are several factors pertaining to the attitudes,
priorities or tendencies of the individuals and thus, they must be given importance in order to
gain an understanding of the consumers’ purchasing patterns or behaviors. Firstly, marketing
campaigns play an immensely important role in influencing the decisions that are being made by

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the consumers. It can be said that the marketing campaigns of eSports are unique, which caters to
the most number of audiences and they end up buying those products or merchandises.
Moreover, the marketing campaigns hold by eSports Company are known to bring
around a great shift to the market shares among the competitive industries. This is done by
influencing the buying or purchasing patterns of the consumers. Toufaily, Ricard and Perrien
(2013) stated that the marketing campaigns that are done on a regular basis have the potential of
influencing the purchasing decisions of the consumers, to such an extent that they end up opting
that brand over others. Therefore, it can be said that the marketing campaigns or amount of
branding done by the eSports Company has enabled the consumers trust that brand over the other
ones.
According to Hosany and Martin (2012), marketing campaigns should be undertaken on
regular intervals as it helps in reminding the consumers to shop from that particular brand. In
addition to this, there are other factors as well, which impacts upon the consumers’ decisions of
purchasing a particular product or service. The spending decisions of the consumers are also
known to be hugely influenced by their economic situation that prevails within the market.
However, eSports Company has managed to offer its consumers with all range of products that
can be easily afforded. Therefore, consumers tend to prefer this particular brand over others, as
there is a loyalty factor as well.
In addition to these factors, Madzharov, Block and Morrin (2015) mentioned that at the
personal level, the consumers’ behavior or attitude is most likely to get influenced by several
shades of priorities, values, morals, likes or say, dislikes. At certain dynamic industries like
sports, fashion, personal care and others, the opinions and personal views of the consumers
matter a lot and these factors tend to become the most dominant influencing factors. However,

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the advertisements help in influencing these factors to a large extent and the personal likings and
disliking exert huge influence over the end purchase made by the consumers.
Group influences is also considered to be a major factor that affect the decisions of the
consumers. Similarly, Gainsbury, Abarbanel and Blaszczynski (2017) stated that the primary
group which influences the consumer consists of the family members, relatives and classmates.
Moreover, the secondary group consists of the neighbors, acquaintances and others, who have
greater influence over the consumers’ buying decisions. Same is the case of eSports Company.
The company is largely popular and accepted by its target consumers, who have direct power
over influencing other consumers into changing their preferences and buying eSports
merchandises.
Madzharov, Block and Morrin(2015) mentioned that purchasing power of the consumers play a
major role in influencing the consumers’ behavior or attitude. The customers analyze their
buying capacity beforehand and buy the products, accordingly. It can be said that eSports not
only offers its consumers with excellent products or services, but it also meet the purchasing
abilities of the buyers and thus, have huge impact over its sales. Segmenting the consumers on
the basis of their buying capacity will enable the eSports Company in determining its eligible
customers in order to achieve great results, further.
Marketing strategies and marketing mixes of eSports Merchandize Company:
The international eSports Merchandize companies use powerful marketing strategies to
market their goods using their formidable marketing mixes. Rauschnabel et al. (2016) mention
that eSpoprt merchandize companies market their products by promoting them online on the
various digital platforms like YouTube and Facebook. They collaborate with ecommerce

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companies like Google to advertise their brands, often in association with specific sports teams.
The eSports merchandize companies advertise their products with great detailing to customers
who visit their products online which creates the feel of store shopping. Ertimur and Coskuner-
Balli (2015) opine that these companies offer discounts which are exclusively crafted to satisfy
the sports fans who purchase products online. According to Dessart, Veloutsou and Morgan-
Thomas (2015) these strategies of the eSports merchandize companies enable them to create a
loyal base of consumers who prefer their purchase their products irrespective of the sports teams
they sponsor. This analysis makes it pertinent to explore the marketing mixes of the eSports
merchandize selling companies which enable them to create a large consumer base which enable
to generate immense revenue.
Product:
The products of the eSports companies consist of sports goods, sportswear and sports
accessories. AS per Neven(2014), the sports goods consist of commodities like football, rackets
and bats. Sportswear consists of T-shirts, shirts, shoes, socks, boxers and tracksuits. The
accessories comprise of gloves, bands and caps. These products bear the brand name of the
eSports companies marketing them. These companies emphasize on creating customers
satisfaction by offering high quality products bearing their brand names. According to Suand
Tong (2015), this strategy helps them to obtain a loyal consumer base which is separate from the
consumer base of the sports teams. The sports companies sponsor a variety of sports events
which enable them to offer their products at these events to both their loyal group of buyers and
the loyal group of buyers of the sports teams.

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Pricing:
Parganas, Anagnostopoulos and Chadwick (2015) echo and opine that the success of the
eSports companies lies to a great deal on appropriate pricing. The eSports companies use both
economic pricing and premium pricing to market their products. They adopt more aggressive
strategies to market their products online to their base of loyal customers. They online shoppers
can avail discounts and free gifts on ordering products online. According to Hing et al. (2017),
pricing strategies of the eSports companies are essentially promotional tools. These companies
offer certain free gifts on purchase beyond a benchmark amount. Moreover, sports events allow
these companies to sell their products online to both their supporters and those of the sports
teams. Thus, one can infer that appropriate pricing of the sports companies enable them to
generate immense revenue from selling their products online.
Place:
The eSports companies sell their products online to their consumers. According to
Doloto,and Chen-Burger (2015), ESports companies have business models which cater to the
needs of the online business. These companies have strategically designed websites which are
aligned to the business requirements. These websites enable consumers to viewers to get a
detailed view of the product line as pointed out by Neven(2014). The websites allow online
shoppers to view the characteristics of the products which create trust in them about the quality
of the products and the brand power of the marketer. The websites enable buyers to shop
products individually and in bundles. These websites are designed to shows prices and offers
both for single product units and bundles. Guo et al. (2018) mentions that social website
platforms have also emerged as powerful platforms to promote products. This analysis shows

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that the eSports companies use digital platforms as powerful component of marketing mix to
market their products.
Promotion:
Parganas, Anagnostopoulos and Chadwick (2015) mentions that promotion forms a part
of all the other components of marketing mix of eSports companies. These companies promote
their products using their powerful website which facilitate both advertising and selling of
products. These companies as again pointed out by Ertimur and Coskuner-Balli (2015), use their
brand power which they create among consumers to promote their products to create demand. As
pointed out by Doloto,and Chen-Burger (2015), appropriate pricing allow these companies
promote and convince consumers to purchase the products. One can point out that the marketing
strategy of these eSports companies have to target appropriate consumer segment to generate
revenue.
STP of eSportsMerchandize Company:
Schmid, KexelandDjafarova (2016) point out the eSports companies use psychographic
segmentation to market their products online. However, one can point out that unlike traditional
sports marketing in outlets, segmentation of eSports market is also dependent on geographic
segmentation. This is because marketing of online sports products are dependent on presence and
availability of internet. Bragg et al. (2018) supports this opinion of segmentation and points out
that unlike traditional sports marketing, eSports marketing is dependent on the internet and hence
restricted to cities and towns.
Accoridng to Schmid, KexelandDjafarova (2016) the main customer base the eSports
companies target comprise of the young and sports loving people. The main age group is young

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and middle class. However, the purchasers of sportswear and accessories can also comprise of
old aged as well who go to watch matches. The target consumer base of the ESports companies
can also consist of techsavvy consumers to buy sportswear like track pants as casual wear.
Again, the market of eSports can be segmented on frequency of purchase of these products.
Some consumers purchase sports product on regular basis while others purchase such products
like accessories to show loyalty towards the sports teams they support.
Parganas, Anagnostopoulos and Chadwick (2015) mention that appropriate promotion
enable eSports companies to position themselves strategically in the market. They must position
themselves as companies capable of selling wide variety of high quality sports products online at
prices convenient to different consumer segments. This appropriate position would enable them
to acquire competitive advantage in the market and generate high revenue.
Research Methodology
Introduction
In the following chapter of the dissertation, the methodology required to complete the
dissertation has been provided. Research Methodology is considered to be one of the most
important chapters of the dissertation. It helps to complete the dissertation following a particular
methodological approach. It provides the just appropriate framework that helps the research to be
completed in the provided timeframe and ensures success for the research (Flick 2015). The
following chapter starts with the introductory part and progresses with the research outline,
research philosophy, strategy and approach. The justification behind the particular selection has
been provided in this following chapter. All the processes like data collection process, sampling

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techniques and all the other kind of processes that are been used in the study has been discussed
properly in the following chapter.
Research Objectives
The objective of the following research is to provide the information related to the sales
of esports merchandise in different kinds of events arranged for the public through performing a
quantitative data analysis. The research will also try to identify the specific areas where the
number of sales for the general and enthusiastic esports fan is much greater than the supporters
who support specific teams. Apart from this the research also determines on the reasons for the
customers to buy specific team supporting merchandise and other kinds of merchandise.
Method Outline
Methodology Methods
Research Philosophy Positivism
Research Approach Deductive Approach
Research Data Quantitative and qualitative data
analysis
Research Strategy Survey Analysis
Sampling Simple Random Sampling Method

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Research Philosophy
In this particular study the positivism research philosophy has been chosen. It has helped
to investigate the topic in a much logical and critical way. The other two philosophies have been
avoided just because they are based on human perceptions and the outcome of the study, which
did not, helped the cause of the research.
Research Approach
The deductive research deals with the already existing set of theories, models and sets
formulated by other researchers (Flick 2015).The deductive approach has been chosen to
complete this particular research. The choice of the deductive approach helps the research to be
related with the work of the existing theories and models of the research topic (Mackey and Gass
2015). This helps to avoid extra wastage of time by searching for new theories and models. The
inductive method has been mainly avoided because of the unnecessary wastage of time as well as
the research could have been made to go to a wrong direction if the information was provided by
constructing new theories and models.
Research Design
The following research will be taking the help of the different kinds of the (Silverman
2016). (Taylor Bogdan and DeVault 2015).
The research has used the descriptive model of the research design like most other
researchers as such a design helps to have an in depth idea of the various theories and
information on the topic of the research. The following method also provides a critical point of
view to the research topic(Flick 2015).

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Research Strategy
As mentioned in the topic the formulator of this particular study has decided to conduct a
survey on the sports enthusiasts to find out the results of the research. The survey strategy has
been selected to proceed with the research. The sports lovers and the spectators of the esports
will be surveyed and the results will be produced based on such a survey.
Selection of Sampling Methods and Sample size
The simple random technique has been followed in this particular research. The simple
random technique has helped the research to save time as the participants have been chosen
randomly without the wastage of time.
Data Collection Process
The primary data is received by conducting different surveys and interviews whereas the
secondary information has been gained from the printed or available form. These include the
presence of already existing data of the previous surveys or any information available from
different journals, books and other data collection processes. The secondary sources help to have
a detailed analysis of the whole topic as it refers to a number of earlier works. The qualitative
research work will include online survey results. First results will include the likes of the reasons
and opinions of the things that attract them to buy eSports merchandise as compared to
traditional sports. The patterns on the other hand will include a survey of 5 existing customers of
the same merchandise.
Data Analysis Technique
The qualitative data was evaluated by transforming the total ideas into different themes.
This kind of analysis is called thematic analysis. On the other hand, the quantitative data was

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analyzed by transforming the numerical digits into percentages and demonstrating them in the
form of graphs, charts, figures and many more as such. Both the qualitative as well as
quantitative data will be used to figure out the results of the following research.
Research Population
The research population will be selected from the National University eSports League
Finals which will be held in new Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London. A dedicated number of 15
participants will be selected for the particular survey. On the other hand the second group of
research participants will be the people who play online games. The following research will
involve a sample size of about 50 people.
Sampling Method and Sampling Size
As mentioned earlier the random method of sampling has been selected to complete the
research. The survey has been conducted in three steps upon a number of participants. The first
step involved 15 participants, second step involved 50 participants and the third and the final step
involved 5 participants.
Ethical Considerations
The different types of ethics were in consideration while conducting the research. It is the
duty of the person who undertakes the research to ensure the safety and security of both the
research participants and their responses. He must also ensure that the identity of the research
participants is not disclosed and should also ensure that no external or internal pressure is
provided upon the participants to force them change their speech. The participants must also not
be forced to participate in the survey. Last but not the least there must be a scope for the
participants to leave the survey or the research work at any given point of time.

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Summary
A detailed and compact methodology has been provided in the following chapter.It has
included all the methods and elements related to the topic and provided the particular ways by
which the research will proceed. The providence of the justification for the use of the research
elements has added a much greater scope to the acceptability of the following research.

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References
Alopaeus, E., 2016. The Impact of Event Marketing on Brand Awareness in eSport Industry.
Chao, L.L., 2017. You Must Construct Additional Pylons: Building a Better Framework for
Esports Governance. Fordham L. Rev., 86, p.737.
Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Font-i-Furnols, M. and Guerrero, L., 2014. Consumer preference, behavior and perception about
meat and meat products: An overview. Meat science, 98(3), pp.361-371.
Foutz, N.Z., 2017. Entertainment Marketing. Foundations and Trends® in Marketing, 10(4),
pp.215-333.
Funk, D.C., 2017. Introducing a Sport Experience Design (SX) framework for sport consumer
behaviour research. Sport Management Review, 20(2), pp.145-158.
Gainsbury, S.M., Abarbanel, B. and Blaszczynski, A., 2017. Game on: comparison of
demographic profiles, consumption behaviors, and gambling site selection criteria of esports and
sports bettors. Gaming Law Review, 21(8), pp.575-587.
Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R. and Singh, R., 2016.
Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer
behavior. Journal of business research, 69(12), pp.5833-5841.
Hamari, J. and Sjöblom, M., 2017. What is eSports and why do people watch it?. Internet
research, 27(2), pp.211-232.

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Hosany, S. and Martin, D., 2012. Self-image congruence in consumer behavior. Journal of
Business Research, 65(5), pp.685-691.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
Madzharov, A.V., Block, L.G. and Morrin, M., 2015. The cool scent of power: effects of
ambient scent on consumer preferences and choice behavior. Journal of Marketing, 79(1), pp.83-
96.
Ozuem, W., Borrelli, M. and Lancaster, G., 2017. Leveraging the co-evolution of offline and
online video games: An empirical study. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 25(1), pp.75-97.
Silverman, D. ed., 2016. Qualitative research. Sage.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
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Appendix
Survey sample is as follow:
Question 1
Gender
Male
Female
Question 2
Which age group are you in?
16-18
18-22
23-26
27-30
Question 3
Which type of fans are you?
General eSports enthusiastic
Specific team supporters (name)
Star players supporters (name)
Question 4
What kind of merchandise did you buy?
Game-related merch
Team support merch
On-site support merch

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Question 5
Which of the following affected you to come to this event today?
Ticket price
Weather conditions
Travelling distance to the event
Team’s current success
The existence of star players
The atmosphere of the facility
Staff readiness
Match quality
Others:_____________
Question 6
Do you own or purchase eSports merchandise with team trademarks and/or logos?
Yes
No
Question 7
If not,
Which merchandise did you purchase?
Question 8
On a scale of 1-10, do you think on-site supporters are more likely to purchase merchandise to
support their teams?
Question 9
What is the reason for you to purchase this merchandise?

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(visibility of the purchase item to others, personality identification or contributes to the
individual’s desire, belong to a group…etc)
Question 10
Do you support other sports event or teams rather than esports?
Question 11
Do you own their merchandise as well?
Question 12
On the below rating what factor makes you attracted to the merchandise product?
Quality Design
Question 13
Would you buy new merchandise when there is a newer version of the merch?
Yes
No
Question 14
What is the essential criteria needed in order to make customers purchase merchandise?
Question 15
How much roughly are you spending on merchandise?
&********;10-25
&********;25-50
&********;50-75
&********;75-100
Question 16
What kind of merchandise you purchase the most?

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Plush
Tee
Gaming equipment
Accessories