Awareness and the Determinants of Intent to Purchase Halal Personal care products : Empirical Evidence From Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigated Muslim consumer behaviour in the unique context of purchasing halal personal care products in Pakistan. Essentially, it investigated consumer behaviour intentions regarding halal non-food products, in the light of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour (1985, 1991.2002). It also sought to know the effect of awareness of concept of halal in personal care products on the purchase decisions of Muslim consumers in Pakistan. Moreover, it explored religiosity's effect on consumer buying behavioural intent and its determinants in this particular context. In essence, this research attempts to add to existing knowledge by linking the concept of halal and consumer behaviour with personal care products. It was hypothesized that the three variables of TPB - attitude, subjective norm, perceived availability- were significant influencers of intent to purchase halal personal care products. It was further proposed that awareness of halal personal care products also influences consumers' purchase intent. A quantitative methodology was employed, where 236 urban, educated and affluent respondents from Karachi and Islamabad were included for participation. Since this was a behaviour-focused study, special attention was given to the target selection, in terms of their psychographic characteristics. These included only educated, urbane and affluent Muslims, male and female, in the target areas. This was done to ensure participation of only those respondents who have the knowhow of the significance of ingredients while shopping, and those who are consumers of multinational branded personal care items. Data was analysed through multiple regression and correlation using SPSS. Results revealed that attitudes and subjective norms are significant predictors of intent to buy halal personal products. However, perceived availability and awareness did not appear to have any significant impact. Religiosity was also found to impact intent to purchase. Moreover, awareness trends and perceptions of halal PCP were also analyzed.