Purpose The study aims to explore how the perception of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects argument quality of advertisement, attitude and purchase intentions of the indoor fitness products based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM). Moreover, the moderating effect of exercise involvement was examined. Design/methodology/approach A total of 283 consumers in Singapore were recruited during the partial lockdown period. Data analysis was employed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results of data analysis showed that perception of COVID-19 affected argument quality of advertisement, attitude and purchase intention of indoor fitness products. Meanwhile, argument quality resulted in a favorable attitude toward indoor fitness products, which, ultimately, led to the purchase intention. In addition, exercise involvement positively moderated the influence of argument quality on attitude. Originality/value The findings provide implications for businesses and researchers to understand sport consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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