Advances in Islamic Finance, Marketing, and Management

The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers: The Context of

Bangladesh
Mehree Iqbal, Nabila Nisha,
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 CHAPTER

The Role of
11 Religion on
Purchase Behavior
of Muslim
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Consumers: The
Context of
Bangladesh
Mehree Iqbal and Nabila Nisha

ABSTRACT
Purpose This study aims to explore the presumed relation-
ship between religion and purchase behavior of consumers in
the context of Bangladesh.
Methodology/approach This research is divided into two
main parts. In the first one, the authors reviewed some of the
most important studies relative to religion and marketing and
those specifically relative to Islamic marketing. In the second
part, this research shows the findings of a structured ques-
tionnaire administered to a sample of Muslim consumers
currently residing in the capital city of Bangladesh Dhaka.
The questionnaire also sought to find out the respondents’
attitude towards the modern marketing tactics, in terms of
the physical and visual appearance of local products, their
perception of religious principles in the purchase decision and

245
 246 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

their attitude towards imported products of non-Muslim

countries.
Findings Results of this study highlight that religion often
represents an essential reference point in influencing the per-
ception and purchase behavior of consumers in the context
of Bangladesh. This implies that marketing strategies based
on Islamic ethics is going to be quite instrumental in order to
reach out to the consumers in Muslim countries. As such,
there is largely a strong positive relationship between religion
and the purchase behavior of Muslim consumers.
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Research limitations/implications The lack of research on

Islamic marketing limits the intensity of arguments in this
study. For this reason, the literature review is not completely
exhaustive. A small sample size has also been used due to
time and resource constraints. Future research can be done
on a bigger sample size of Bangladesh or other Islamic coun-
tries across the world. Other research avenues may include
the study of Islamic marketing mix and exploring the factors
that can influence non-Muslim consumers to select products
and services based on Islamic ethics.
Practical implications It is very important for businesses to
introduce healthy practices in countries like Bangladesh and
this can be rightly achieved through the use of Islamic mar-
keting. Furthermore, the use of Islamic ethics in marketing
strategies can eventually influence the religious perception of
consumers and make them loyal towards any brands, pro-
ducts, and services in the context of Bangladesh.
Originality/value The chapter draws attention to
Bangladesh as one of the potential markets where the con-
cept of Islamic market mechanism can be established. It also
highlights the challenges that global marketers can face with
Islamic marketing in Muslim countries like Bangladesh.
Besides, it is the only study to date that focuses upon the
relationship of religion, marketing, and consumer behavior
for consumer products of the manufacturing industry.
Keywords: Islamic marketing; consumer perception;
purchase behavior; Muslim consumers; Bangladesh
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 247

1. Introduction
The interest of the world economy in understanding the relation-
ship between Islam, consumption and marketing practices has
substantially increased in recent years. A major reason behind
this development has been the emergence of Islamic marketing,
which is rapidly gaining momentum around the globe. The term
“Islamic marketing” officially came into existence in 2010 when
Bakr Ahmad Alserhan, as the founding editor, initiated the
Journal of Islamic Marketing and published the first book on this
subject The principles of Islamic marketing in 2011 (Jafari &
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Sandikci, 2015). The field quickly expanded with the establish-

ment of an annual global conference, introduction of additional
international journals and publication of new books in the aca-
demics (El-Bassiouny, 2014). Also, several journals and articles
have sprung up that attempt to comprehend marketing ideas
based on the framework of the principles of Islam and within the
context of the Muslim populace to analyze and concretely con-
sider and satisfy the potential needs of 1.8 billion Muslims world-
wide (Jafari, 2012).
Islamic marketing basically combines the principle of value
maximization with the principles of equity and justice for the
wider welfare of the society (Hassan, Chachi, & Latiff, 2008).
Islam is not just a religion rather it has been defined as a way
of life. As such, Islamic marketing is not only based on the idea
of simply fulfilling the needs and wants of customers. It has some
strict parameters to follow and the origin of these parameters is
the Quran and the Sunnah the religious book and principles of
Islam (Al-Azmeh, 2009). Islamic marketing, therefore, is the pro-
cess of identification and implementation of value maximization
strategies for the welfare of the stakeholders in particular and the
society in general governed by the guidelines given in the Quran
and Sunnah (Fischer, 2011). Adherence to such marketing prac-
tices is not only going to benefit in this world, but also in the
world after it, as per Islamic values and beliefs (Hussnain, 2011).
According to Sandikci (2011), the identification of Muslims as
an untapped and viable market segment has triggered this interest
of marketers in the concept of Islamic marketing. Therefore, it
appears that the changing demographics and purchasing power of
Muslim consumers and the success of Muslim entrepreneurs have
started to render Islamic marketing as a scholarly and manage-
rially attractive field (Baldassarre & Campo, 2015). Muslim
 248 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iran came in with strong
support for Islamic marketing right from its emergence. Even
countries like Malaysia, Turkey, the United States, and Pakistan
and European countries have now realized the importance and
necessity of Islamic marketing and are trying to follow and
implement it in order to tap the Muslim consumers worldwide
(Adnan, 2013). In fact, the emerging economy of Bangladesh is
also another attractive country wherein the world economy is
contemplating the practice of Islamic marketing.
Bangladesh recently reaffirmed the status of Islam as the state
religion in March 2016 through a decree by the Supreme Court
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of the country (The Daily Star, March 29, 2016b). This constitu-
tional provision has been restated following the increase in the
Muslim population of Bangladesh which is around 148.6 million
today, representing 90.4% of the country’s total population (The
Daily Star, January 18, 2016a). Bangladesh has also been
declared as fourth largest Muslim population in the world after
Indonesia, Pakistan, and India. Moreover, a series of policy
incentives and investment sovereignty is now being offered to the
foreign direct investment (FDI) investors in this country. These
include: a tax holiday for several years; a duty-free facility for
importing capital machinery; a 100% foreign ownership and
profit repatriation facility; reinvestment of profit or dividend as
FDI; a multiple visa; a work permit for foreign executives; a
permanent residency or even citizenship for investing a specific
amount; an export processing zone and easy hassle-free exit facil-
ity; and such others (Abdin, 2015). These incentives consequently
increased the trend of FDI inflows in the country by USD 1,700
million in the fiscal year of 2015 (Bangladesh Bank, 2015). As one
of the fastest growing economies in the world, Bangladesh also
has many potential sectors to attract investors, such as power gen-
eration, infrastructure development, private port establishment,
joint venture with deep sea port establishment, ship-building, an
information and communication technology sector, call centers,
education, healthcare, mining, gas extraction, agro-processed pro-
duct, electrics and electronics, light engineering, fashion designing,
and, of course, green investments (Bangladesh Bank, 2016).
Given the economic growth of the country and its strong
positive trend towards FDI and Muslims being a large part of its
total population, Bangladesh represents a strong potential as a
prospective market for Muslim consumers for the world economy.
Therefore, the application of Islamic marketing in Bangladesh has
the possibility of being a successful case for global businesses.
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 249

However, marketers need to understand religious ethics, values,

and beliefs that can influence the perception and purchase beha-
vior of Muslim consumers in this country. This chapter highlights
the findings of a study that attempts to explore the role of religion
in the buying decisions of Muslim consumers in the context of
Bangladesh. Since the rise of Islamic marketing has recently
attracted the attention of global businesses, the concept of Islamic
marketing is still very new to marketers. As a result, limited stu-
dies have been conducted to prove the practice and success of this
field. This study fills this void and contributes to the literature
by investigating the role of religion in the purchase decisions of
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Muslim consumers in the context of an emerging Muslim

country Bangladesh. The outcome of this research is of particu-
lar significance for marketers of global businesses, as it better
informs them as to how their products and services will appeal to
Muslim consumers and the efforts that will be required to estab-
lish their businesses in Muslim countries like Bangladesh.

2. Literature Review
2.1. CONVENTIONAL MARKETING VERSUS ISLAMIC MARKETING
Conventional marketing is broadly defined as the activity, set of
institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, deliver-
ing, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, cli-
ents, partners, and society at large (Keefe, 2008). This definition
casts marketing as more than just a management function. It
emphasizes value creation on both sides of an exchange as a
desired marketing outcome, recognizes the complexity of the
environment in which marketing activities occur, the variety of
participants in the marketing process, and its social responsibility
to a range of stakeholders (Fadahunsi & Kargwell, 2015). On
the other hand, the intention behind Islamic marketing is to
establish a strong bond with the stakeholders in order to maxi-
mize value on the basis of the guidelines given by the Quran and
Sunnah which ultimately benefits the stakeholders and society
(Saeed & Baig, 2013). Islamic marketing is a concept that needs
to be understood on several levels because the addition of the
religious factor makes it a sensitive issue for both consumers and
marketers. The strategies of conventional marketing and Islamic
marketing thus vary to a large extent, owing to the different
ideologies and practice of the two fields (Rice, 2011).
 250 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

2.2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF ISLAMIC MARKETING

Marketing mix is the main mechanism for creating, communicat-
ing, offering, and delivering to consumers. So it is important to
theoretically understand the marketing mix of Islamic marketing
to further this study. To simplify, the marketing mix has been
categorized into 4Ps: product, place, promotion, and price
(Slater, Hult, & Olson, 2010).
Product is defined as the need-satisfying offering of the firm
and it includes decisions regarding product benefits, packaging,
warranties, branding, and ancillary services (Alom & Haque,
2011). A product is seen as one that combines all these attributes
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to offer total benefit and satisfaction to the customer. With

regard to products, Islam mandates Muslim buyers to only con-
sume products declared to be Halal (permissible) (Shamsudin &
Rahman, 2014). In line with this, Islam prohibits sellers from
hoarding goods, over-stating product features, and inaccurately
scaling practices during negotiations or transactions (Pitchay,
2012). The process of production in Islam is visualized relatively
different as compared with conventional marketing as the Islamic
perspective integrates moral and transcendental essentials within
the production decision-making process, directed by the princi-
ples of purity, lawfulness, value, existence, and precise purpose
(Al-Misri, 1991). The key objective of the production process
under Islamic marketing must be to deliver, promote, and gratify
only basic human needs (Saeed, Ahmed, & Mukhtar, 2001). This
implies that the product must not be creating flatness of mind,
public aggravation, corruption, or contamination in any way
(Al-Ukhuwa, 1983).
Place refers to decisions made in order to get goods and
services where, when, and how the customer wants them. It
includes decisions related to distribution, storage, the possible use
of intermediaries, and related customer service issues (Abdullah,
Hamali, & Abdullah, 2015). Such practices place conventional
marketing operations in potential conflict with Islamic teaching.
As in the place context, Islam mandates the uninterrupted flow of
goods and services from seller to buyer and to this end, forbids
marketers from manipulating the distribution system in any way
that negatively impacts product availability or in some other way
creates an extra burden for consumers or resellers (Hejase,
Hamdar, Orfali, & Hejase, 2012). Governing distribution chan-
nels has as an objective to set the price level up, which is con-
demned by Islamic teachings (Trim, 2009). According to Islamic
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 251

principles, distribution channels are not supposed to create a

burden for the final customer in terms of higher prices and delays
(Al-Ukhuwa, 1983). The intent of distribution channels should be
to create value and strengthen the standard of living by providing
Islamic satisfactory services. It is not permitted to influence the
accessibility of any product with the purpose of exploitation, domi-
nation in the marketing channel, or application of unnecessary
influence over the sellers’ preference for handling a product
(Hassan et al., 2008).
Promotion relates to the purpose of aiding communications
between the firm and the buying public, usually for the purpose of
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influencing the buyers’ attitudes and behavior (Qamar, Lodhi, &

Qamar, 2015). The choice of appropriate communication
methods, including advertising, public relations, and a host of
options in-between is the crucial task in this aspect (Alom &
Haque, 2011). Typically, marketers seek to blend a variety of pro-
motion methods to fit the customer and environment they operate
in. With regard to promotion, Islamic teaching prioritizes the reve-
lation of all known information about promoted products and
prohibits the concealment of any facts about a product, including
product defects or product information that may not be immedi-
ately accessible to potential buyers (Shamsudin & Rahman, 2014).
Dispersing this method of information will encourage good
deeds by portraying Islamic behaviors under Islamic marketing.
Consequently, all advertising messages that follow Islamic teach-
ings must be proliferating good morals and their role must be
symbolized as a positive input for family and society (Rice & Al-
Mossawi, 2002). Beyond these, there are further prohibitions in
Islam on false product assertions, unproven product claims and
exaggeration of product benefits by sellers under the Islamic mar-
keting concept (Saeed & Baig, 2013).
Price is the term used to describe the amount charged for
something of value. This is inclusive of all costs, discounts, allow-
ances, and pricing tiers related to products (Abdullah et al.,
2015). In conventional marketing practices, price is a function of
the marketers’ specific marketing objectives, developed in light of
known customer preferences and the marketers’ legal obligations,
all of which tend to allow a measure of flexibility in pricing poli-
cies that is widely practiced (Abdullah, 2010). Building such flex-
ibility into pricing strategies can be problematic in the Islamic
marketing context. This is because if healthy competition and
self-operating mechanisms of price adjustment are considered
permissible in Islamic marketing, taking undue advantage of this
 252 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

to slide into the territory of unjustified price discrimination is not

permissible under the Islamic values and principles (Karatas &
Sandikci, 2013). It is also not allowed to charge extraordinary
prices for products, decrease the price with the intention of bring-
ing losses to competitors, or to swindle easy-going customers for
any illicit gains under the Islamic marketing guidelines (Sandikci
& Jafari, 2013).

2.3. DOS AND DON’TS OF ISLAMIC MARKETING

In addition to the unique marketing mix, there are a number of
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approved and disapproved etiquettes of marketing based on

Islamic law and ethics. Past studies like Hassan et al. (2008),
Hussnain (2011), Sandikci (2011), Jafari and Süerdem (2012),
Karatas and Sandikci (2013), Ahmed and Rahman (2015),
Baldassarre and Campo (2015), and many others have stated
these dos and don’ts of Islamic marketing. To begin with, it is
forbidden to make earnings through all kinds of unclean objects,
though there is hesitation in the generality of the rule. It will be
interpreted that all kinds of business are considered unclean,
like production, sales, and all kinds of activities related to the
marketing of alcohol, gambling, etc. Secondly, adulteration with
something concealed in the sale and purchase of product is for-
bidden. This includes mixing water with milk or mixing low
quality food with high quality food without informing the other
party. This practice is prohibited in Islam and therefore cannot
be part of Islamic marketing. Thirdly, sales and marketing of all
the instruments meant for prohibited acts when the benefit
intended to accrue from them depends solely on them, such as
instruments for entertainment, such as lyre, flutes, harps, etc.
and gambling instruments, such as the backgammon, chess, etc.,
are forbidden under Islamic marketing. Fourthly, sales and mar-
keting of weapons to the enemies of Islamic faith is forbidden
when they are engaged in war against Muslims. Next, drawing
pictures of living beings like human beings and animals is forbid-
den, as are those particularly in concrete form which are usually
made of stones, metals, wood, and so on (Hussnain, 2011).
Therefore, all activities related to the marketing of such as com-
panies, galleries, websites which violate this law is prohibited.
Lastly, marketing of all types of people and performances related
to magic, music, and astrology, their teaching and learning as
well as earning through then is forbidden.
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 253

All global businesses should thus avoid and accept these ethi-
cal standards and beliefs in order to appeal to Muslim consu-
mers. It is these Islamic principles and guidelines that lay the
foundation of Islamic marketing concepts for marketers and,
based on these standards, marketers can plan their strategies for
all Muslim countries across the world.

2.4. PAST EMPIRICAL STUDIES

A significant strand of the literature stems from the study of
Islamic ethics and values in the banking industry. Empirical
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evidence like Hussnain (2011), Sandikci (2011), Jafari (2012),

Wilson (2012), Adnan (2013), Ger (2013), Ali, Rahman,
Rahman, Albaity, and Jalil (2015), Jamshidi, Hashemi, Hussin,
Wan, and Mossafa (2014), Yildiz, Yildiz, and Topal (2014), and
such others claim that psychological factors like attitude, subjec-
tive norms, and perceived behavioral control can influence consu-
mers’ intention to accept financial services based on Islamic
beliefs. In addition, other constructs such as religiosity and
knowledge can further affect consumers’ attitude towards Islamic
banking services. Besides the banking industry, studies based on
Islamic beliefs also branch out to include food choices and eating
habits of consumers. Specific studies conducted by Mullen,
Williams, and Hunt (2000), Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel
(2001), Dindyal and Dindyal (2003), Jamal (2003) and Pettinger,
Holdsworth, and Gerber (2004) state religion to be a determinis-
tic factor in shaping food choices among Muslim consumers. In
recent times, studies by Rezai, Mohamed, and Shamsudin (2012),
Teng, Siong, and Mesbahi (2013), and Baldassarre and Campo
(2015) support the claim of religion as being an important con-
struct in influencing Muslim consumer attitude and behavior as
well as food purchasing decisions and eating habits. It can thus
be argued that the impact of religion on food consumption
depends on the religion itself and on the extent to which indivi-
duals interpret and follow the teachings of their religion.
In terms of specific Islamic marketing studies, researchers
have mostly focused upon the past and future perspectives of this
field of marketing. Previous studies like Hassan et al. (2008),
Wilson (2012), Ali and Ali and Al-Aali (2015), Yildiz et al.
(2014), and Putit and Johan (2015) claim the necessity and
demand of Islamic marketing to be a new marketing paradigm
and that the developments in this field need to be linked to under-
standing individual consumption behavior. This means that
 254 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

when Muslim consumers are the target, the practice of marketing

needs to take on a particular Islamic character which is different
from marketing in general. Alternatively, studies by Sandikci
(2011), Jafari (2012), Ger (2013), and Kadirov (2014) explore
the reasons underlying the recent interest in Islamic marketing
and cited globalization, rise in Muslim population, increased con-
sumer demands and expectations, and the revolution of informa-
tion technology to be the main reasons behind it. Additionally,
Wilson and Grant (2013), Jamshidi et al. (2014), Fadahunsi and
Kargwell (2015), Jafari and Sandikci (2015), and Jafari and
Visconti (2014) state that the accuracy of the available approach
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from the Islamic point of view and the current situation of mar-
keting can both be used to form a strong theoretical framework
for Islamic marketing in Muslim countries.
Almost all these past studies claim that it is important to
understand how Islam and marketing relate to each other and
how Muslim consumers base Islamic values and beliefs in their
daily lives and practices. However, there is paucity of research
that particularly focuses on the perception and purchase behavior
of Muslim consumers with regard to Islamic marketing applied
upon consumer goods in emerging Muslim countries.

3. Scope of the Study

For centuries, Muslim consumers have engaged in consumption
and trade, but the interest of marketers for this target group has
always been marginalized (Sandikci, 2011). Previously, some
global companies did target Muslim consumers and differentiated
their products and services to appeal to them. For example,
Nokia introduced mobile phones in the Middle East and North
African markets with a variety of applications related to Islamic
norms like alarms synchronized for five daily prayers, religious e-
books and calendars, and so on (Saeed & Baig, 2013). Unilever
also promoted a brand of their Sunsilk shampoo to cater to
Muslim women who suffer from oily scalps due to the regular
use of head coverings (Gooch, 2010). However, lack of under-
standing of the needs, values, and collectivistic cultures of
Muslim consumers made companies ignore the Islamic market
for good.
Over time, conventional marketing approaches underwent a
continuous evolution with the focus of marketers shifting more
and more towards customers. The purpose behind this shift is
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 255

mainly to create a long-lasting relationship with the customers

(Constantinides, 2006). With the trends of globalization and
trade liberalization coming to the forefront, the need to make
customers at the heart of marketing strategies is more important
than ever (Wilson & Grant, 2013). As such, marketers today are
again considering the untapped market segments of Muslim
consumers in order to reach people across all countries or
continents.
According to Abuznaid (2012), Muslim consumers constitute
about one-quarter of the total world population and represent a
majority in more than 50 countries. Recent statistics by IFANCA
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and Pew reports further claim that the Muslim population is

around 870 million in Asia, 190 million in Middle East, 443 mil-
lion in Africa, 51 million in Europe, and approximately 9 million
in the United States (Danver, 2015). Reasons behind this increas-
ing growth rate of the Muslim population is mostly linked to the
globalization of market, the growing number of new citizens and
immigrants in Western countries, and the people’s revolution in
the Middle East that resulted in the creation of Islamic regimes
(Koku & Jusoh, 2014). The sheer size of the Muslim market,
fueled with the oil boom and increase in the level of foreign
investments in Muslim countries largely appealed to marketers in
recent times (Alserhan & Alserhan, 2012). Moreover, the
increase in demand for religious compliant products and services
in the global marketplace, saturated domestic markets in the
West and the ardent need for international growth also made
Muslim consumers a promising target market for global busi-
nesses (El-Bassiouny, 2014). In view of such opportunities, it is
not surprising that Islamic marketing became an emergent phe-
nomenon in the world economy today.
To tap the Islamic market, the first and foremost requirement
for world businesses is to be familiar with Islamic perspectives in
order to understand the factors that shape the behavior of
Muslim consumers. This is because Muslim consumers are
usually dependent on their religious values and their buying char-
acteristics are often directly related to their strongly held religious
beliefs (Alserhan, 2010). In fact, religion plays one of the most
influential roles shaping food choice, eating habits and consump-
tion behavior in many Muslim countries (Rehman & Shabbir,
2010). Hence, if marketers ignore the mindset of Muslim consu-
mers, they may risk alienating a large proportion of their Muslim
target market. They may also find themselves in direct conflict with
the religious principles of the Muslim population (Arham, 2010).
 256 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

For instance, the manufacturing of a pair of athletic shoes with

a logo on the sole that resembled the Arabic letter “ALLAH”
(Almighty) by renowned shoe company “Nike” ended up hurting
the sentiments of Muslims all over the world (Eko & Mielczarek,
2015). This controversy in the field of marketing evidences that if
the target group is that of Muslim consumers, products and services
must be differentiated according to their religious beliefs.
Since the perspectives of Muslim consumers and their reli-
gious values of Islam on commerce and its marketing implica-
tions is gaining momentum, it is imperative that global businesses
and marketers know how to employ Islamic marketing practices
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in Muslim countries. This study thus conceptualizes an empirical

survey to investigate the role of religion in influencing the percep-
tion and purchase behavior of consumers in the context of
Bangladesh.
The current study is unique from previous studies in many
ways. First, this study focuses on Bangladesh. This is interesting
in the sense that Bangladesh is one of the potential markets where
the concept of Islamic market mechanism can be established, as
Islam is the state religion of the country and it has a significantly
large number of Muslims as part of its population. Second, con-
sumer behavior and Islamic marketing has not been the focus of
any past research in the context of manufactured goods, to the
best of the authors’ knowledge. The findings of this chapter can
therefore provide insight into the development of a basic knowl-
edge of applying Islamic marketing for consumer products.
Additionally, this chapter can contribute to the emerging body of
literature on the Islamic marketing mechanism in developing
countries and subsequently increase knowledge in the field of
academics regarding this new field of marketing.

4. Methodology
Many previous studies provide evidence that religion is an impor-
tant reference point for Muslim consumers worldwide. Since
90.4% of the total population of Bangladesh comprises Muslim
consumers, this study aims to explore the presumed relationship
between religion and purchase behavior of consumers in the con-
text of Bangladesh.
For this purpose, a causal research design has been used in
this study to explain how the independent variable of religion
produces a change in the dependent variable of the purchase
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 257

Figure 1: The Proposed Research Model.

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behavior of consumers thereby, determining the cause and

effect relationship that exists among these two variables (Cooper,
Schindler, & Sun, 2006). Based on this proposed relationship, a
conceptual research model has been designed, as given in
Figure 1.
To investigate this relationship, methods and techniques
employed for data collection involved a primary research. The
primary research involved gathering of data by conducting a sur-
vey of a purposive sample of 300 Muslim consumers currently
residing in the capital city of Bangladesh Dhaka. Nisha (2015)
states that the main aim of purposive sampling is to focus on par-
ticular characteristics of a population that are of interest to
answer a research question. This non-random technique does not
even require a set number of samples, as long as the needed infor-
mation is obtained (Tongco, 2007). Since the focus of this chap-
ter is to examine the linkage between religion and purchase
behavior of consumers, only Muslim consumers were selected for
this study.
To conduct the survey, a structured questionnaire was devel-
oped in line with Bakar, Lee, and Rungie (2013) and the infor-
mation was presented in quantifiable terms to understand the
influence of religious principles on purchases. In particular, the
questionnaire asked respondents to rate the extent to which they
are aware of, and care about, religious beliefs and ethics when
purchasing a product or consuming a service, and whether they
believe that local and global businesses need to follow marketing
strategies based on Islamic ethics in Bangladesh. The question-
naire also sought to find out the respondents’ attitude towards
modern marketing tactics in terms of the physical and visual
appearance of local products, their perception of religious
 258 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

principles in the purchase decision and their attitude towards

imported products of non-Muslim countries. After a three-week
survey, 213 completed and usable responses were finally obtained
from the survey and these were used to analyze the relationship
highlighted in this study.

5. Results and Discussions

The majority of the participants surveyed for this study were male
(64%). In terms of the respondents’ age, 56% were below 35 years
old, which was followed by 30% of the respondents who were
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36 40 years old, and 14% who were 40 years old. With regard to
the respondents’ professions, around 48% of them were employed
in private service, followed by 21% who were students, 18% who
were academic staff, and 13% who were in government service. It
can thus be stated that the sample used to conduct this study con-
stitutes a fairly large diversity, as presented in Table 1.
The first part of the questionnaire focused upon the tendency
of the respondents to follow religious principles during their
food purchases in Bangladesh. While Muslim consumers provided
insignificant responses regarding the local products of the country,
a large part of them (85%) stated that they do consider Islamic

Table 1: Demographic Profile of

Respondents.
Gender
Male 64%
Female 36%
Age
25 and below 12%
26 30 24%
31 35 20%
36 40 30%
40 and above 14%
Profession
Private service 48%
Students 21%
Academic staff 18%
Government service 13%
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 259

percepts while making their purchase decisions of imported pro-

ducts. Only 10% of the respondents claimed that Islamic values
were not upheld by them when imported products were being pur-
chased. The next part of the survey attempted to obtain consumer
insights regarding Halal certification on imported products in
Bangladesh, including multinational food chains that operate in
the country. Most of the respondents (92%) stated that they
assume imported food products to be already Halal certified even
before they enter Bangladesh, and therefore they do not con-
sciously check for the label of this certification. A similar observa-
tion was noted for global food chains, where respondents believe
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that they already follow Islamic values and ethics and do not serve
anything that is not Halal certified. As such, a majority of the
respondents (95%) claimed that they never affirm whether food
items or consumer products from global businesses are Halal certi-
fied when offered in Bangladesh. For a more in-depth analysis,
respondents were given a list of brands whose products are
imported in Bangladesh and they were asked to rate if these pro-
ducts correspond to Islamic values in their view. For example, con-
sumers were particularly asked about Ferrero (sweet snacks),
Kellogg’s (breakfast cereals), Colgate-Palmolive (shampoo and
soap), Quaker Oats (oat meals), L’Oréal (skincare and hair care
products), Cadbury (sweet snacks), Oreo (biscuits), TRESemmé
(shampoo), Listerine (mouthwash), and Farmasi (cosmetics).
Most of the respondents (89%) answered that they assume these
products to be Halal certified since they are being imported into a
Muslim country like Bangladesh. A significantly smaller number
of respondents (11%), however, claimed to avoid using these pro-
ducts as they are foreign-made and they could not trust global
businesses to adhere to Islamic views and beliefs. Table 2 provides
an overview of the overall results of this study.
The responses of the surveyed Muslim consumers have been
quite instrumental in deriving the findings of this study. In spite
of their attention to the religious principles, the respondents
appear to be quite naive regarding Islamic values and beliefs for
imported consumer goods in Bangladesh. Most of them blindly
trust global businesses and multinational food chains to follow
Islamic principles when selling products in Bangladesh.
Respondents claim that since the world economy already knows
that Bangladesh is a Muslim country on the whole, whatever pro-
ducts are offered or imported from foreign countries should fall
into permissible Islamic certifications. Extreme religious views
did not stem from Muslim consumers in Bangladesh, but it does
 260 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

Table 2: Survey Responses of Muslim Consumers.

Responses Halal Imported Global Product
Certifications Products Food Appearance
Chains
I usually consider Islamic 85%
percepts in my purchase
decisions of
I’m neutral about Islamic 5%
percepts in my purchase
decisions of
I don’t consider Islamic 10%
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percepts in my purchase
decisions of
I don’t trust marketers and 5% 3%
consciously check for religious
labels of
I trust marketers and don’t 92% 95%
consciously check for religious
labels of
I’m not worried about 3% 2%
marketers or any religious
labels of
I purchase foreign products 89%
based on their appearance
since I trust marketers
I don’t purchase foreign 11%
products based on their
appearance since I don’t trust
marketers

not also imply that they do not consider religion when consum-
ing products of global businesses.
This trust of the Muslim consumers of Bangladesh upon the
global marketers is something that businesses should value and
not take undue advantage of. Global businesses should practice a
good marketing communication strategy and be aware of their
consumers who are wholeheartedly following religious principles
in Muslim countries. In this regard, visual characteristics of
imported products, differentiated packaging, and of course the
use of the color green often represent the ideal tonality of most
consumer products manufactured for the Muslim consumer mar-
kets. In addition, the survey also gathered suggestions from the
respondents as to how global marketers can improve their
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 261

marketing strategies to target Muslim consumers in Bangladesh.

Most of the respondents expressed the desire to have a specific
Halal symbol on the packages of imported food products and
ample information about the products and their ingredients
through advertisements and social networks. They further claim
that such improvements under Islamic marketing by the global
marketers can help them relate more to imported foreign pro-
ducts in Bangladesh and the Muslim consumers can feel to be an
integral part of the wider consumer community.
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6. Challenges
Although Bangladesh has a very interesting market-potential, this
market segment has been long considered as largely untapped
and overlooked by global companies. However, today the coun-
try is on the path of economic growth with more and more inter-
national businesses showing interest in the “untapped” buying
potential of its consumers (The Daily Star, January 18, 2016a).
Findings of the empirical survey highlight that religion often
represents an essential reference point in influencing the percep-
tion and purchase behavior of consumers in the context of
Bangladesh. This implies that marketing strategies based on
Islamic ethics is going to be quite instrumental in order to reach
out to the consumers in Bangladesh. With the Muslim population
now at around 148.6 million in the country, this is clearly not a
surprise. Hence, global companies need to direct their marketing
efforts in using specific resources, skills and tools that are rele-
vant and appealing to this particular segment. This is equally
true for all domestic companies of the country as well. In other
words, the use of Islamic marketing is essential to tap the market
of Bangladesh.
Islamic marketing may serve to fulfill the emerging and
potential needs of Muslim consumers in Bangladesh, but there
are a number of challenges that both global and local businesses
face to adapt to this way of looking at the market of religious-
conscious consumers. The first and foremost challenge that the
use of Islamic marketing in Bangladesh always confronts is that
of globalization. Globalization has integrated a prevailing
Western consumer culture in the global marketplace with differ-
ent consumption values and ideologies across the world (Jafari &
Goulding, 2013). As a result, today there are a number of fran-
chises of multinational restaurant chains like KFC, Pizza Hut,
 262 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

Gloria Jean’s Coffees, Chewy Junior, The Coffee Bean & Tea
Leaf, Fish & Co., Cold Stone Creamery, The Manhattan Fish
Market, etc., along with a significant rise in consumerism.
However, when such and similar global businesses establish
themselves in Muslim countries, modifications must be made
with regard to the Muslim country which is being targeted for
business (Izberk-Bilgin, 2012). This is because Muslim consumer
groups are far from homogenous and marketing managers
should not assume Muslims to be a uniform and pre-existing seg-
ment (Jafari, Dedeoğlu, Regany, Üstündağli, & Batat, 2014).
Religious sentiments and compliance to Islamic beliefs and view-
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points must therefore be taken into account when global pro-

ducts and services are offered in Bangladesh. For instance,
“Halal” certifications on the packages of food served in the glo-
bal food chains or on food packets imported from foreign coun-
tries can be utilized as an effective marketing tool in the country.
Even advertisements and visual aspects of all products need to
abide by religious guidelines particularly for the Muslim popula-
tion of Bangladesh. This is a major setback for global businesses
as they cannot use a standard set of products, services, or promo-
tional activities under Islamic marketing (Hino, 2011). Even local
businesses face similar problems when introducing a new product
to the market or in the event of using innovative mediums of pro-
motions for the new or existing products in Bangladesh.
On the other hand, there are some businesses which operate
online and share the information of their products over the
Internet. However, these online businesses have a reason to be
concerned if they target Muslim countries like Bangladesh.
Through online marketing, businesses endanger one of the most
important elements of Islamic ethics trust (Zarrad & Debabi,
2015). This is because it is impossible to assess the quality of the
goods sold online and the authenticity and reliability of informa-
tion over the Internet may also be questionable (Wilson et al.,
2013). As such, businesses may need to alter their marketing stra-
tegies when Muslim consumers of Bangladesh are the target
group.
On a different note, Islamic marketing poses certain chal-
lenges from the business perspective as well. Generally, managers
tend to neglect ethical principles under the pressure of trade liber-
alization and profit maximization (Yusoff, 2013). This induces
companies to bribe people in the process and engage in different
fraudulent activities. In Bangladesh, there have been cases where
shopkeepers manipulate prices of products, especially during
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 263

religious holidays or events, or sell commodities with long

expired dates to customers who are either illiterate or are unaware
of the significance of buying products with valid dates (Ali & Al-
Aali, 2013). With regard to Islamic marketing, businesses often
find themselves curbing such practices and moving away from the
“profit, profit and profit” motive towards ethical norms and the
primacy of social interests (Prokopee & Kurdy, 2011). To do this,
businesses compromise on their profit maximization, curtail char-
ging unjustifiable prices and accommodate the needy and unfortu-
nate customers in communities. This is yet another challenge
that businesses have to encounter to target the Muslim consumer
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segment of Bangladesh.

7. Solutions and Recommendations

The Muslim population is currently around 1.8 billion people
worldwide and the Muslim consumption industry accounts for
no less than 2.2 trillion dollars (PRC, 2016). Muslim consumers
thus represent an important target for marketers today. As such,
it is imperative that companies and brands should understand
Islamic norms and values and consequently gain insights into the
religious consumer motives, preferences, needs, habits, and prac-
tices of Muslim consumers.
The current study offers several implications in this regard.
Rather than only profit maximization, companies should focus
on an ethical business framework based on the Islamic principles
of value maximization. This will bring about a balance among
both material and spiritual dimensions of the business concerned.
To pursue this purpose, it is very important for businesses to
introduce healthy practices in Asian countries like Bangladesh
and this can be rightly achieved through the use of Islamic mar-
keting. As a starting point, Bangladesh is a lucrative place to
apply Islamic marketing for the marketers since a large part of
this Asian country’s population comprises of Muslim consumers.
The Islamic market mechanism can therefore help companies to
avoid getting involved in any hoarding, adulterating or other
forms of exploitation in Bangladesh. It can also help to curb
manipulation, deception, or other kinds of malpractice from
existing in all kinds of businesses in the country. Furthermore,
the use of Islamic ethics in marketing strategies can eventually
influence the religious perception of consumers and make them
loyal towards any brands, products and services in the context of
 264 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

Bangladesh. Modern marketing tactics of all businesses in this

Asian country are often referred to as unethical since they give
rise to high prices, deceptive practices, unsafe products, planned
obsolescence, false promises and misconceptions, undue competi-
tions, environmental degradation, etc. Islamic marketing can
even resolve these issues through the presence of a religious fra-
mework which calls for accountability of shopkeepers, entrepre-
neurs, large and small businesses, and of course the established
brands. Proper implementation of Islamic marketing can there-
fore bring efficiency and welfare to the consumers, promote
environmental-friendly products and services, and establish fair
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transactions in all economic activities of the businesses in

Bangladesh. In fact, it can also be stated that Islamic marketing
can make businesses refrain from compromising upon their
moral values and principles. Findings of this chapter alternatively
provide managerial significance for non-Muslim marketers as
well. The study claims that non-Muslim marketers should also
familiarize themselves with the principles of Islamic marketing,
so that not only Muslim consumers, but also the non-Muslim
consumers of Bangladesh can benefit from the religious ethics of
such strategies in the long run.
To sum up, both local and global companies and brands
should face the challenge of adapting Islamic marketing in
Muslim countries like Bangladesh across the Asian continent.
Not only it is beneficial for the society and environment, but also
the use of Islamic marketing can help to maintain the ethical
standards of businesses. Thus, it is necessary to acquire a deep
and thorough comprehension of religious consumer values and
of how these values affect the daily consumer decisions in
Muslim countries of the Asian region. Only with this kind of gen-
uine empathy, can marketers appeal to and reach Muslim consu-
mers for economic purposes in the setting of Asian countries like
Bangladesh.

8. Conclusion
Islamic marketing today represents a novel focal phase and is
undoubtedly one of the highly debatable issues in many coun-
tries. It is built upon religious principles and beliefs of Muslim
people and it largely emphasizes value maximization of the
society by the businesses rather than their own profit maximiza-
tion. It is an approach to marketing and branding of products or
 The Role of Religion on Purchase Behavior of Muslim Consumers 265

services in such a way that it particularly appeals to Muslim con-

sumer segments. In fact, the Islamic market mechanism promotes
that a globalized marketing mix should not ignore the cultural
differences and perceptions that pertain to a consumer’s religion,
values, beliefs, behavior, characteristics, culture, traditions, and
habits. Past studies present Islamic marketing as a torchbearer to
challenge the conventional notions of marketing theory and prac-
tice. However, the ethical standard of Islamic marketing has
made it quite popular among Muslim countries, now extending
to even Bangladesh. As such, this study attempted to investigate
the influence of religious values and perceptions upon the pur-
chase behavior of Muslim consumers in Bangladesh. The findings
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argue that religion plays a significant role for Muslim consumers

during their shopping experience, and both local and global mar-
keters need to design their marketing strategies based on religious
guidelines to tap the market of Bangladesh. Implications for the
study outline that Islamic marketing can provide a fruitful envir-
onment for marketing approaches to be in tune with cultural
norms. Also, it can optimize benefits for both consumers and
businesses involved in the marketing exchange functions. The
current study also highlights the challenges that Islamic market-
ing can pose for local and global marketers in Bangladesh. This
includes the impact of globalization, consumerism, online mar-
keting, changes in business ethics, etc. Regardless of all chal-
lenges, this study argues that the concept of Islamic marketing
should be explored by marketers in order to improve marketing
practices in Muslim countries like Bangladesh.

9. Limitations and Future Research

Directions
Like other empirical studies, this chapter has several limitations.
The lack of research on Islamic marketing limits the intensity of
arguments in this study. The literature review is also not comple-
tely exhaustive, because there is a paucity of research on Islamic
marketing particularly in the context of Bangladesh. Due to time
and resource constraints, a small sample size has been selected to
conduct this study which further restricted an in-depth analysis
of the insights of Muslim consumers and their purchase beha-
viors in Bangladesh. As such, there are many future research
opportunities stemming from this study. Empirical research may
 266 MEHREE IQBAL AND NABILA NISHA

be conducted to study the factors that overall influence the per-

ceptions of Muslim consumers towards the use of Islamic market-
ing in Bangladesh. Future research can also be done on a bigger
sample size of other Islamic countries like Indonesia, Malaysia,
Pakistan, and such others across the world. Other research ave-
nues may include exploring the factors that can influence non-
Muslim consumers to select products and services based on
Islamic ethics. Additionally, the study of the Islamic marketing
mix can further contribute towards the understanding the prac-
tices of the Islamic market mechanism from the perspective of the
marketers.
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