DAMIAN-OKORO, Inetimi Roseline1, AKANI, Godspower Henshaw2, and AKANI. Ejiro Anthonia3
1,2Department of Marketing, Faculty of Administration and Management, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Corresponding author: akani.godspower@ust.edu.ng orcid number 0000-0001-7196-2248
Abstract
The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between sponsorship marketing and customer patronage in Nigerian betting firms. Customer patronage was measured using three key indicators: customer retention, repeat purchases, and sales volume. The study population comprised 42 betting firms in Rivers State, with one manager from each firm selected as a respondent. These managers were chosen for their intellectual and official capacity to provide accurate and relevant data. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was employed to test the hypotheses, and the results revealed a significant and positive correlation between sponsorship marketing and customer patronage. Based on these findings, the study concluded that sponsorship marketing plays a crucial role in enhancing customer patronage within the betting industry in Nigeria. Consequently, it is recommended that the management of betting firms focus on promoting and strengthening their sponsorship marketing strategies to boost customer retention, increase repeat purchases, and enhance overall sales performance.
Keywords: Sponsorship marketing, customer patronage, customer retention, repeat purchases, sales volume.