Antecedents of consumer indebtedness in a majority-Muslim country: Assessing the moderating effects of gender and religiosity using PLS-MGA

Satt

Lebdaoui

et al. 2022

JIMA

Self Cite

Purpose This paper aims to identify the antecedents of giving charitable donations (Sadaqah) during the pandemic in a majority-Muslim country. This paper proposes and tests a theoretical framework in which attitude toward giving donations mediates the effects of perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and past behavior on giving charitable donations (Sadaqah). The authors also investigate the mediating effect of attitude toward giving donations and the moderating effect of Islamic religiosity in an emerging nation characterized by the dominance of the Islamic doctrine. Gender, age and income have been examined as control variables. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from a sample of 377 respondents from Morocco were analyzed to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that past behavior, subjective norms, attitude toward giving donations and intention to donate are key predictors of giving charitable donation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper also confirms the mediating effect of attitude toward giving donations, e.g. subjective norms trigger positive attitude toward giving donations, which increases respondents’ donation frequency. The results also suggest a significant moderating effect of Islamic religiosity, e.g. individuals who feel themselves as highly religious are more likely to develop a favorable attitude toward giving donations and are therefore more likely to donate during the pandemic. Practical implications The findings suggest practical and social implications for both academics and practitioners. As attitude, subjective norm, past behavior and intention are found to significantly influence giving charitable donations (Sadaqah), fundraising organizations should give serious attention on these factors to improve individuals’ charitable giving (Sadaqah). Such organizations should also consider the use of faith-based messages and religious morals when planning their advertising campaigns in majority-Muslim markets. Originality/value Although preliminary studies have already attempted to provide knowledge about the factors influencing giving donations among both Muslims and nonMuslims, potential antecedents of giving donations (Sadaqah) during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been considered and are yet to be empirically investigated. This paper provides new perceptions on factors influencing giving donations on a majority-Muslim majority country where no zakat institution operates. Such findings can be useful for both academicians, fundraising organizations and policymakers in Morocco to promote charitable actions and boost its socio-economic affects.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents of giving charitable donations (Sadaqah) during the COVID-19 pandemic: does Islamic religiosity matter?

Satt

Lebdaoui

et al. 2022

JIMA

Self Cite

“…Real GDP was expected to contract by 4% in 2020 in the baseline scenario, in stark contrast to the 3.6% expansion expected before the epidemic (World Bank, 2020). The pandemic has also led to widespread job and income losses, especially in the informal sector where large numbers of workers have lost their jobs (Lebdaoui and Chetioui, 2021). In order to cope with the negative effects of the crisis on Moroccan households, Morocco's king has given instructions to proceed with the immediate creation of a special fund dedicated to the management of the coronavirus pandemic.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With an economy that is mainly based on agriculture and tourism (Chetioui et al, 2017a(Chetioui et al, , 2017bDriouchi et al, 2011;Farooq and Chetioui, 2012), Morocco was substantially affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic not only influenced the economy, but also a great part of Moroccan households as it led to a widespread job and income losses, especially in the informal sector where large numbers of workers have lost their jobs (HCP, 2020; Lebdaoui and Chetioui, 2021). A COVID-19 special fund was created by Moroccan authorities and has largely benefited from the generosity of both domestic and multinational companies operating in Morocco.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 cause-related campaigns and consumers’ purchase intention: does religiosity matter?

Lebdaoui

2021

JIMA

Self Cite

Purpose This paper aims to propose and test a theoretical framework in which attitude towards COVID-19 cause-related campaigns mediates the effects of identification with the cause, donation size, emotional arousal and subjective norms on consumer purchase intention. The authors also explore the moderating effect of religiosity in an emerging nation marked by the dominance of the Islamic doctrine. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from a sample of 561 consumers from Morocco were analyzed to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling. Findings First, attitude toward COVID-19 cause-related campaigns has a significant effect on consumer purchase intention; at the same time, it is influenced by identification with the cause, donation size, emotional arousal and subjective norms. Second, the results confirm the mediating effect of attitude toward COVID-19 cause-related campaigns, e.g. higher emotional arousal triggers positive attitude towards COVID-19 cause campaigns, which shapes consumer purchase intention. Third, Islamic religiosity acts as a moderator, e.g. individuals who feel themselves as highly religious are more likely to develop favorable attitude towards cause brands and therefore form stronger purchase intentions when exposed to COVID-19 cause campaigns. Practical implications The findings of this research suggest a number of practical and social implications for both academics and practitioners. Successful cause-related marketing (CrM) campaigns should include facets inducing emotional arousal, superior donation size, identification with the cause and subjective norms, which, in turn, enhances consumers’ attitude toward the campaign, their attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. Practitioners interested in expanding into majority-Muslim markets should also consider the use of faith-based messages and religious morals when planning CrM campaigns. Originality/value While preliminary studies have already attempted to provide knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on individuals’ health and well-being, potential effects on consumers’ decisions and behavior have not been considered much and are yet to be empirically investigated. This original research is among the first to provide insights about the potential use of COVID-19 cause to shape consumer purchase intention and behavior. This will strengthen our cross-cultural appreciation of the disparities in consumer perception of CrM among Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

“…A self-administered online questionnaire was shared via social media applications to collect data (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, MS Teams and e-mails). According to previous studies, a nonprobability sampling is suitable for multivariate data analysis (Ittaqullah et al , 2020, Lebdaoui and Chetioui, 2021; Chetioui et al , 2022). A screening question was asked first to filter respondents based on whether they previously purchased any good or service online or not.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They were asked to assess to which degree they agreed with statements that were presented to them regarding the variables using a five-point Likert scale going from 1 for strongly disagree to 5 for strongly agree. We also adopted the back-translation method (Chetioui et al , 2017; Driouchi et al , 2011; Lebdaoui and Chetioui, 2021) to translate the items from English to French. Appendix summarizes the constructs, definitions, sources, respective items and factor loadings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of the nexus between online impulsive buying and cognitive dissonance among Gen Z shoppers: Are female shoppers different?

Bouzidi

2023

Self Cite

Purpose Though online impulsive buying emerged mostly in Western cultures, it has been widely expanded as a key pattern among online customers in emerging markets. Interestingly, while few studies suggest that engaging in unplanned purchase actions (i.e. impulsive buying) is not always associated with negative emotions among customers (i.e. postpurchase cognitive dissonance), others suggest that impulsive buying is directly associated with cognitive dissonance. This paper aims to investigate and understand the key antecedents of online impulsive buying among Moroccan Gen Z consumers, and how it contributes to postpurchase dissonance. The authors also try to gain deeper insights by investigating the disparities between males and females using mutigroup analysis. Design/methodology/approach Based on data collected from 333 Moroccan Gen Zers, the hypothesized model was empirically tested using a partial least squares estimation. Findings First, the results confirm that impulsive buying is positively associated with postpurchase dissonance. Second, while hedonic shopping motivation, fear of missing out and materialism were found to significantly impact online impulsive buying, price value and online reviews had no significant effect on online impulsive purchases. The importance–performance matrix also suggests that the fear of missing out is the most important factor leading to online impulsive buying, followed by hedonic shopping motivation and materialism. Finally, the results confirm that female shoppers are more likely to engage in impulsive buying behavior, and this was mainly due to higher fear of missing out, hedonic shopping motivation and materialism. Practical implications First, the study findings can help online merchants to construct well-designed online shopping platforms and effective e-marketing tactics to stimulate purchase intentions among Gen Z shoppers. Online merchants should also attempt to reduce the negative feelings associated with unplanned buying behavior by introducing additional incentives, effective consumer interactivity and flexible return policies. This would help online suppliers in retaining customers and transforming impulse purchases into more recurrent ones. Second, online retailers should take into consideration the differences between male and female consumers by appealing to the role of gender in purchase situations when marketing their products and services. Finally, the findings offer interesting implications to society by allowing online shoppers to make well-informed purchase decisions without being influenced by personal and products’ traits. Originality/value While prior research assessed the investigated constructs in separate models, the study suggests an integrated framework that incorporates different determinants of online impulsive shopping as well as its impact on postpurchase cognitive dissonance. Additionally, the authors explored the moderating effect of gender to gain deeper insights with regard to the disparities between males and females while engaging in online impulsive buying. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to investigate the antecedents of online impulsive buying among Gen Z consumers in Arab countries and Africa.