THE INFLUENCE OF RELATIVE ADVANTAGE ON CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE TOWARDS SYNTHETIC SHUTTLECOCK AMONG CASUAL BADMINTON PLAYERS IN MALAYSIA: A CONCEPTUAL PAPER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.829125Keywords:
Badminton Industry, Casual Badminton Players, Consumer Acceptance, Diffusion of Innovations, Relative Advantage, Sports Innovation, Synthetic-Feather Shuttlecocks, Waterfowl-Feather ShuttlecocksAbstract
The increasing prices of traditional waterfowl-feather shuttlecocks (WFS) have become a growing concern among badminton players worldwide, including in Malaysia. The rising cost has indirectly affected casual badminton players who participate in badminton activities regularly as part of their weekly recreational and social activities. The high consumption and low durability of WFS have increased the financial burden among players, leading to growing interest in alternative products such as synthetic-feather shuttlecocks (SFS). Furthermore, the involvement and endorsement of SFS by Badminton World Federation (BWF) have strengthened industry attention towards the future use of SFS in badminton activities and competitions. However, consumer acceptance towards this innovation remains uncertain among casual badminton players. Therefore, this conceptual paper aims to investigate the influence of relative advantage on consumer acceptance towards SFS among casual badminton players in Malaysia. This study adopts Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory developed by Everett Rogers to explain innovation acceptance behavior. The proposed framework suggests that relative advantage positively influences consumer acceptance towards SFS. This paper may contribute to sports innovation literature and provide practical insights for badminton manufacturers, sports retailers, and badminton governing bodies regarding consumer readiness towards synthetic shuttlecock adoption.
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References
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