Cosmetics purchase behavior of educated millennial Muslim females

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe cosmetics purchase behavior of young, educated Muslim females in Malaysia and to explore its relationship with certain potential antecedents. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a survey on a sample of female consumers from four higher education institutions in the urban area of Bangi Selangor, Malaysia. From their respective institutions, 150 respondents were selected through the purposive sampling method. Self-administered questionnaire has been used to gather information from the respondents. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive, t-test and correlation analyses to accomplish the study objectives. Findings The study indicates that millennial Muslim cosmetic purchase behavior falls under the “Limited Decision Making” classification. The classification is due to the pattern of pro-active behaviors exhibit through the information search for details about ingredients, halal clue, countries of origin, health safety guarantee and the benefits of the cosmetic products. Young, educated female consumers adore branded cosmetic items and show willingness to accept higher prices for the branded items. Despite brand consciousness, they demonstrate a relatively high concern on the halalness of the product. Based on the correlation analysis, all variables were found to be significant and the most significant of them was brand. Research limitations/implications Millennial consumers are information technology savvy and have access to vast information about products. As a result, the findings reiterate that millennial consumers demonstrate different purchase behavior, which is worth exploring by future researchers. In addition, other latent antecedents such as religiosity and world view are worth including in future studies. Practical implications Cosmetic manufacturers and marketers must ensure that their products signal positive images to fit the expectations of young and educated Muslim consumers. Although brand conscious, such consumers demonstrate prudent behavior in terms of searching for halalan and toyyiban products. Originality/value This study adds value in the area of halal product marketing because of two unique focuses. First, it examines the purchase of cosmetic products, which are relatively understudied compared to halal food. Second, it considers the perspectives of educated Muslim millennials, who are expected to demonstrate more specific purchase behaviors than a generalized millennial group. Therefore, the originality of this study revolves around the consideration of these two aspects, which are relevant to contemporary business marketing discussions.

Purchase behavior of millennial female generation on Halal cosmetic products

“…There are not many studies on halal cosmetics using qualitative research approaches (Hashim and Musa, 2014; Aoun and Tournois, 2015; Annabi and Ibidapo-Obe, 2017), most of which are using quantitative research (survey) approaches. In quantitative studies, the research variables examined include attitude (Ahmad et al , 2015; Rahman et al , 2015; Ansari and Mohammed, 2015; Haque et al , 2018; Aziz and Wahab, 2018); halal awareness (Ahmad et al , 2015; Ansari and Mohammed, 2015; Shahid et al , 2018); religiosity (Rahman et al , 2015; Ansari and Mohammed, 2015; Haque et al , 2018; Shahid et al , 2018); subjective norm (Ansari and Mohammed, 2015; and Aziz and Wahab, 2018), knowledge (Aziz and Wahab, 2018; Rahman et al , 2015; Shahid et al , 2018; Ishak et al , 2019), halal label/logo/certificate (Ahmad et al , 2015; Shahid et al , 2018) and purchase intention (Aziz and Wahab, 2018; Rahman et al , 2015; Ansari and Mohammed, 2015; Shahid et al , 2018; Haque et al , 2018; Ishak et al , 2019). Moreover, in addition to analyzing the variables that are generally examined on halal cosmetic products, including religious belief, halal certification, attitude, halal awareness and intention to purchase halal cosmetic products, this study examined the perceived value variables, brand image and trust that have not or rarely been reviewed in research on halal cosmetic products.…”

Millennials’ purchasing behavior toward fashion clothing brands: influence of brand awareness and brand schematicity

“…The millennials' purchasing behavior has been studied extensively in recent years for various product or service segments: cosmetics (e.g., Ishak et al, 2019;Haque et al, 2018), apparel (e.g., Pasricha et al, 2020;Stewart andCarey, 2020), technology (Calvo-Porral et al, 2019;Purani et al, 2019), tourism (Kim and Park, 2020;Liu et al, 2019) and so on. Different generations portray distinctive and dynamic behavioral dimensions, so the millennials is an interesting group to study because of the millennials' unique characteristics and high BA (Moreno et al, 2017).…”

Millennial Experience in Islamic Banking: A Comparative Study between Clients and non-Clients

“…Therefore, they like to see reviews of a product given by previous users (Gulamali & Persson, 2017). It, then, unconsciously shapes their decision-making (Ishak, Omar, Khalid, Ghafar, & Hussain, 2019). Because of this tendency, the Millennial generation is often considered non-loyal to a brand compared to the previous generation (Lissitsa, Kol, & Services, 2016;Valentine & Powers, 2013).…”