Evaluating the influences of religiosity and product involvement level on the consumers

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to understand the connection between the degree of religiosity and the product involvement level in determining the various constructs of consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach -On the basis of a small survey, clothes were selected as a high involvement product, and snacks were selected as a low involvement product. A modified version of Sproles and Kendal's Customer Style Inventory scale was used to profile the behaviour of consumers, using confirmatory factor analysis approach. Worthington et al.'s Religious Commitment Inventory scale was used to measure the religiosity levels. Data were collected from students of five universities located in different regions of Pakistan. Findings -Consumer behaviour varies with the level of involvement and the degree of religiosity. In the case of high involvement product category, the highly religious group was found to be less recreational, fashion conscious and impulsive in their shopping orientations. It was also determined that the higher religious group was more socially influenced in making purchase decisions, more conscious about their lifestyle and less confused by information over choice, as compared to the less religious group. In the case of the low involvement product category, it was determined that religiosity negatively influenced the brand consciousness of consumers. The results indicated that higher religious consumers were less impulsive and did not give much consideration to advertisements in making purchase decisions; but it was opposite for the less religious consumers. Highly religious consumers in the low involvement product category were also found to be more socially influenced and not as confused by excessive information in making their purchase decisions. Overall, it was established that in order to better understand the intricacies of the behaviour of consumers, their purchasing habits should be studied in the context of varying levels of religiosity and product involvement.Research limitations/implications -This study focused on youth only, so results derived might not be generalized to the other segments of the population. Originality/value -The current study aims to understand how religiosity and involvement level complement each other in determining the behaviour of consumers and whether the level of religiosity equally determines the behaviour of consumers in the low involvement product category and high involvement product category or not. No previous study has been conducted to explore this dimension of consumer behaviour, and this paper categorically strives to fill this gap.

Understanding Islamic Brand Purchase Intention: The Effects of Religiosity, Value Consciousness, and Product Involvement

“…However, previous studies have claimed that more religious consumers are more price-conscious and have more of a tendency to buy discounted products, openly accept imported products, and seek variety in their purchases as compared with less religious consumers (Sood & Nasu, 1995;Yousaf & Shaukat Malik, 2013).…”

Influence of Demography, Religiosity and Porting Behaviour on Switching Behaviour of Mobile Subscribers: Evidence from A Developing Country

“…Relatively few studies to date have identified which customer characteristics might be effective in predicting CSB in developing country mobile markets (e.g., Effah-Bediako et al, 2013;Moschis & Ong, 2011;Yousaf & Malik, 2013). This study hopes to contribute to filling this gap in the literature.…”

“…Generally, current research has established that religiosity can affect consumer purchasing, switching behaviour and other behavioural intentions (e.g., Choi, 2010, Choi et al, 2013Moschis & Ong, 2011;Yousaf & Malik, 2013). In a study in Pakistan, Yousaf & Malik (2013) found that consumer behaviour varies with the level of involvement and the degree of religiosity.…”

“…In a study in Pakistan, Yousaf & Malik (2013) found that consumer behaviour varies with the level of involvement and the degree of religiosity. For high involvement product category, the highly religious group was found to be less recreational, fashion conscious and impulsive in their shopping orientations.…”

“…Moreover, relatively few studies have examined the effect of consumer religiosity on CSB in different service contexts (Yousaf & Malik, 2013). Therefore, recent studies have called upon future research to further our theoretical understanding regarding the role of consumer religion and religiosity in CSB (Choi, 2010;Choi et al, 2013).…”