Impact of the Strength of Religious Beliefs on Brand Love in the Islamic Market

Abstract

By drawing on the theory of planned behaviour and attachment theory, the purpose of this study is to understand how religious beliefs influence Muslim consumers towards brand love, how Muslim consumers are influenced by their Sharia sources, whether Muslim consumers strictly follow the Sharia sources while behaving towards brand love and whether the brand love concept in Islam is different from brand love concept in the current literature. In order to gain a better understanding of the research phenomenon, a qualitative research method was used in this study. Five in-depth focus groups were conducted with Muslim consumers in Saudi Arabia. The researchers developed a conceptual framework based on the theory of planned behaviour and attachment theory that offers propositions regarding the key determinants (subjective norms, religious beliefs and perceived behaviour control) and consequence of purchase intention, as a newly proposed concept. This paper proposes that consumer’s beliefs support companies to have their brands loved, which will lead to positive word-of-mouth and purchase intention as a major consequence of brand love. Main implications for researchers and brand managers are highlighted.