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Investigating
Investigating the the consumer
consumer behavior for behavior

halal endorsed products

Case of an emerging Muslim market 625
Mubbsher Munawar Khan Received 3 September 2015
Revised 15 December 2015
Hailey College of Banking and Finance, University of the Punjab, 4 February 2016
Lahore, Pakistan, and Accepted 13 March 2016

Humaira Asad and Irsa Mehboob

Institute of Business Administration, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to investigate the determinants of consumer behavior for buying halal endorsed
products in an emerging Muslim market, Pakistan. The study is based on the conceptual framework of the
theory of planned behavior (TPB).
Design/methodology/approach – It was hypothesized that halal endorsement affects consumer
behavior and significantly influences the consumers’ purchase intention. In addition to the main dimensions
of TPB model, the study incorporates two other variables to articulate the TPB model specifically for the
situation under hand. A sample of 497 respondents was chosen using convenience random sampling and
categorized on the basis of age group, academic qualification, income, profession, etc. A cross-sectional study
was done using self-administered questionnaires to conduct surveys and results were analyzed using
techniques such as Pearson correlation, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.
Findings – The results show that religious commitment, motivation to comply, self-identity and perceived
behavioral control have a positive and significant effect on the intention to purchase halal endorsed products.
The empirical evidence indicates that the individuals who consider themselves as distinct Muslims, i.e.
perceive that they have a well-defined self-identity, a higher level of behavioral control, religious commitment
and a strong motivation to comply with the Shariah teachings about halal buying, end up buying halal-
endorsed products.
Research limitations/implications – This paper has certain limitations such as using the convenience
sampling and focusing mostly on young and Muslim buyers. Future studies may overcome such
shortcomings by specifically targeting more mature and elderly buyers and buyers with diverse ethnicity and
religions who may have greater level of control on making purchase decision regarding religiously endorsed
products.
Originality/value – This pioneering study was one of its first types being conducted in Pakistan. It
highlighted important aspects for marketers about an emerging Muslim market that certain segments of
consumers who show a distinct self-identity, have a greater urge to comply with Shariah teachings and
maintain a greater control over decision-making end up buying halal goods.

Keywords Consumer behavior, Purchase intention, Self-identity, Subjective norms, Halal endorsement,
Religious commitment, Motivation to comply
Paper type Research paper

Journal of Islamic Marketing

Introduction Vol. 8 No. 4, 2017
pp. 625-641
The growing recognition for halal food as a benchmark for quality and hygiene offers a © Emerald Publishing Limited
1759-0833
potential market opportunity for food manufacturers to fulfill the food needs of Muslim DOI 10.1108/JIMA-09-2015-0068
JIMA consumer market worldwide. This trend has emerged as a result of escalating economic
8,4 growth in Muslim majority areas such as Gulf and South-East Asia. Wilson (2014)
investigated the reasons behind sharp increase in the volume of halal industry and identified
that it is a new and emerging industry which is growing beyond the cultural, geographical
and religious frontiers. It also points out that despite being one of the significantly
developing industries; very little research has been done so far. This study is an attempt to
626 fill in this gap by identifying the determinants of consumer behavior in an emerging Muslim
economy.
The word halal comes from Arabic word “Halla” meaning “allowed or permitted by
Islamic law” (Jallad, 2008). Every Muslim consumer’s life is governed by the lifestyle,
dietary, financial and several other rules of the Islamic faith. Yet Muslims all over the world
are far from to be regarded as homogeneous (Walker et al., 2008). The influential role of
different religious philosophies in modeling food choices across different societies and
cultures are well known in history (Dindyal, 2003; Musaiger, 1993). However, despite such
influential role, religious guidelines for dietary restrictions have been unclear (Delener,
1994). Several studies provide evidence that religions influence consumer behavior in
general and their decisions regarding food purchasing and eating norms in particular (Just
et al., 2007; Pettinger et al., 2004; Kanekar and Merchant, 2001; Mullen et al., 2000; Asp, 1999;
Shatenstein and Ghadirian, 1997; Delener, 1994; Mennell et al., 1992). The level to which any
religion affects the food consumption patterns of a society is dependent on the religion itself
and the extent to which its followers interpret and adhere to its teachings (Heiman et al.,
2005). Among such religions, Islam is one that has put certain prohibitions on dietary
patterns.
The principles of Islam are based on five pillars, which every Muslim must follow:
Shahadah (testimony of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (charity), Sowm (fasting) and Hajj
(Pilgrimage). Apart from these, Islam provides a complete set of rules and regulations for
dietary habits for the sake of wellbeing of its followers. It classifies the food as halal
(permissible to consume) and haraam (not permissible to consume), the details of which are
described in Holy Quran and Ahadith and were practiced (Sunnah) by Holy Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).
The Muslim population in the world has now grown to 1.8 billion, which is increasing
day by day. The Muslim consumer market is a staggering $2.1 trillion size. The halal food
and beverages market has grown over the past decade and is now worth an estimated $632
billion per year. This number is expected to increase dramatically by the year 2020 (Turcsik,
2001). The overall market for Shariah-compliant goods and services, i.e. those conforming to
Islamic laws – and including banking and finance, fashion and apparel, cosmetics and body
care and pharmaceutical – is a huge $2 trillion annually and is also growing at a fast pace.
The Muslims’ buying power is also increasing at a rate of almost US$1.4 billion daily (US
$500 billion annually). The worldwide value of halal industry has gone up to the US$2.3
trillion (Wilson, 2014). In addition to halal food, most of the world’s Muslims feel more
satisfied in buying the bulk of their goods and services from conventional suppliers (Rahee
et al., 2014). According to the Economist (2012), more than 50 per cent of businesses that
catered Muslim segments earned at least 5 per cent annual revenue growth, while 34 per
cent registered above 15 per cent growth. The lack of Shariah-compliant funding sources is
a major hurdle for most non-Muslim firms who want to enter the global market with halal
products (Walker et al., 2008).
Although halal food is physically similar to other foods, it differs by its nature,
slaughtering techniques and way of processing. If an animal has not been slaughtered
according to prescribed Islamic rules, its meat is not permitted for consumption. A product
with halal endorsement/certification is considered suitable for Muslims to consume. This Investigating
certification symbolizes greater hygiene and nutrition. It is perceived to have been produced the consumer
under strict supervision and requirements of Islamic law. Muslim consumers feel safe about
purchasing such products without the thought to question their authenticity. Halal can also
behavior
be seen as a quality indicator even for non-Muslim consumers under the Total Quality
Management of the Halal Certification System (Walker et al., 2008).
Haraam foods include pig meat (pork) and pig by-products (lard); animals dead before
slaughtering or that have been slaughtered improperly, i.e. not in line with Islamic laws; 627
animals killed in the name of anyone other than Allah; alcohol and intoxicants; carnivorous
animals, birds of prey, land animals without external ears; blood and blood by-products; and
food and drinks containing any of the above. There are nine levels of food between halal and
haraam, including makrooh and mashbooh (Eliasi and Dwyer, 2002), meaning doubtful or
questionable products. These categories include foods containing ingredients such as
gelatin, enzymes and emulsifiers.
Muslim countries are trying to develop a global network of halal-certified companies to
ensure smooth trade of halal products. Pakistan is also on its way to finalize the federal halal
authority to boost its exports to Muslim countries. Salman and Siddiqui (2011) pointed out
that because of a lack of consensus on what halal is and the high cost involved in hiring halal
certification experts, little interest was being shown in developing policies for halal industry.
But over time, regional trading hubs have emerged which caused the halal industry to
expand. This has resulted in reducing ambiguities about halal endorsement.
By observing the purchase patterns of Muslims, who are nowadays becoming more
socially and politically inclined, it is found that they are focusing more on halal-labeled food
products (Shafie and Othman, 2006; Riaz and Chaudry, 2004). Hence, the decisions made by
multinationals are now being based on halal food purchase patterns. In addition to this, it
has been observed that the purchase of halal products has gone beyond the global Muslim
population and non-Muslim consumers have also started attracting toward these because of
their perceived quality and health benefits (Rahee et al., 2014). Some non-Muslim firms are
also willing to get their area of consumption certified as religiously permissible to compete
in the global market effectively. Halal endorsement has become an important marketing tool
to compete in global market, particularly if the products are being targeted toward
populations consisting of large Muslim segments (Kettani, 2010).
The Muslim population is estimated to be nearly quarter of the world’s total population
and projected to grow by an annual rate of 27 per cent on average by 2020 (Hanzaee and
Ramezani, 2011; Muhammad et al., 2009). This would lead to a significant increase in
demand for halal products globally (Temporal, 2011; Cheng, 2008). Halal being a marketing
asset under Islamic umbrella has a legitimate brand identity. It creates a safer and reliable
buying opportunity for consumers, along with creating a strong relationship (Isfahani et al.,
2013; Salman and Siddiqui, 2011; Nooh et al., 2007).
This study focuses on the buying behavior of consumers toward halal endorsed products
in a Muslim-dominated country, Pakistan. Here buying pattern is the response of the
consumer on buying products having halal endorsements living in an Islamic culture. Few
researchers have previously studied the purchase behavior for products with halal
endorsement. A detailed overview of the literature on this relationship is provided in the
next section.

Key constructs and conceptual framework

The present study is based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) which is an extension of
the theory of reasoned action (TRA) (Ajzen, 1991). TPB was developed by considering the
JIMA original model’s limitations in dealing with behaviors over which people have incomplete
8,4 volitional control. The TPB postulates three conceptually independent determinants of
behavioral intention: attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Attitude is
the psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some
degree of favor or disfavor (Eagly and Chaiken, 1995). Subjective norm assesses the social
pressure on individuals to perform or not to perform certain behavior. Perceived behavioral
628 control is described as perceptions of the extent to which the behavior is considered
controllable. It assesses the degree to which people perceive that they actually have control
over enacting the behavior of interest (Liou and Contento, 2001). Based on such norms and
beliefs, halal endorsements are observed for the meat product line and processed goods in
buying patterns and purchase decisions in Bonne et al. (2007) and Bonne et al. (2009),
respectively. Both studies were conducted in a multi-religious society. Bonne et al. (2007)
included self-identity and dietary acculturation in the host culture in the conceptual model
based on TPB. They studied the purchase behavior of Muslim migration population at high
and low levels of self-identity. The results obtained using step-wise regression analysis
indicate that the conceptual model based on TPB does not perfectly explain the purchase
behavior of halal endorsed meat in France. A similar attempt was made by Bonne et al.
(2008). They investigated the impact of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral
control and habit on purchase behavior of halal meat at different levels of self-identity and
acculturation. Data were taken from Belgium where most of the Muslims have migrated
from different parts of the world. The analysis was done using step-wise regression
analysis. The results indicate that Muslims who score high on self-identity and low on
acculturation show a higher tendency of eating halal meat. Another study based on the data
from a multi-faith country was done by Mukhtar and Butt (2012). Instead of TPB, they
based their study on TRA and investigated the determinants of consumer behavior of halal
endorsed products. They also estimated the effect of religiosity on purchase intention using
step-wise regression analysis. The results show that subjective norms, attitude toward halal
products and intrapersonal religiosity affect positively (significant at 1 per cent) the
purchase intention. It has been observed that almost all the studies that explore the purchase
intention of halal endorsed goods are based on TPB. Few studies are based on TRA. Rahim
and Junos (2012) promulgated the concept of a halal product acceptance model. This model
is a modified version of theory of purchase behavior which focuses on explaining the
purchase behavior of halal products. According to this model, “religion” along with attitude,
subjective norms and perceived behavioral control determine intention to purchase halal
products. In addition, “habit” of doing a certain thing repeatedly is added as a moderating
variable in the model. It is important to note that all the above-mentioned studies were
conducted in countries where Muslims form ethnic minority.
It is important to observe whether factors of TPB help in explaining the purchase
intention of halal endorsed goods in a country where Muslims are in the majority. Based on
TPB, Alam and Sayuti (2011) explored the halal food purchase behavior in Malaysia
(country with Muslims in majority). The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms
and perceived behavioral control are significant predictors of halal food purchase. The
relationship was estimated using multiple regression analysis. Another study conducted in
a Muslim country is Salman and Siddiqui (2011). They explored the relationship between
religious beliefs, self-identity, attitude toward halal food, religious commitment and
awareness and perception of halal food. They developed a scale measuring the perceptions
of the consumers toward each of the above-mentioned factors using confirmatory factor
analysis (CFA). This study is based on data from Pakistan. In addition, the results show that
religious beliefs, self-identity and attitude toward halal food are strongly correlated with
religious commitment. Awan et al. (2015) also investigated the factors that explain purchase Investigating
intention of halal food products. They took into account five factors, namely, halal the consumer
awareness, personal and societal perception, halal certification, halal marketing and
religious belief and estimated their effects on purchase intention of halal food products.
behavior
The results confirm that four constructs – personal and societal perception, halal
certification, halal marketing and religious belief – have a positive and significant
relationship with purchase intention of halal food products. However, halal awareness was
the only factor which shows a positive but insignificant relationship with purchase intention 629
of halal food products.
Based on the review of literature presented above, we develop a conceptual model for this
study. This study is based on a conceptual framework which is an extended form of the TPB
model. The variables that are added include religious commitment, motivation to comply
and self-identity. In the discussion below, the rationale of adding these variables in the
conceptual model is given. In the previous studies that explain the purchase behavior of
halal endorsed goods, the relationships between the explanatory and explained variables are
estimated using step-wise regression analysis and/or correlation coefficients. The model of
this paper involves a mediating variable (intention to buy). It is assumed that the four
variables discussed below explain intention to buy which influences the purchase of halal
endorsed goods. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is considered as a better estimation
technique for such models (Hair et al., 2010). This is another contribution of this paper. The
constructs and the conceptual model are discussed below.

Religious commitment
Religion holds the central position in the culture that permeates the day-to-day routines of
any cultural group. Moreover, it also contours an individual’s moral system and society’s
ethical structures. Religiosity, popularly referred to as religious commitment, is known to
have a significant influence on an individual, cognitively and behaviorally (Mokhlis and
Sparks, 2007). Furthermore, it forms a value system that varies from those of the fervent,
less religious and the non-religious. Fervent people piously follow the religious principals
pertaining to their religion; on the other hand, less religious people feel free to behave in
other ways. The mentioned value system defined by fervent people has a direct impact on
their choice of behavior in the market, commitment and the level of confidence to a specific
brand (Khraim, 2010; Rindfleisch et al., 2004).
Religiosity is composed of two elements – intra-personal (internal) and inter-personal
(external) – that play a vital part in the fervent people’s lives (Mokhlis and Sparks, 2007).
The internal dimension of religiosity comprises the religious identities, attitudes, values and
beliefs, whereas the external dimension includes religious affiliations, devotions and
memberships in a religious community. To understand consumer behavior, it is important
for the marketers to understand and conclude the intensity of religious affiliations of the
consumers, as their consumption style and decision-making process is closely linked to the
intensity of the consumer’s affiliation to his/her religion (Khraim, 2010; Mokhlis and Sparks,
2007).

Perceived behavioral control

Extending the TPB to explain the non-volitional behavior, Ajzen (1985, 1991) specified that
perceived behavioral control is one of the major determinants of purchase intention.
Perceived behavioral control can be defined as the perception of the extent of controlling the
behavior. In case of a good labeled as halal, the purchase intention will not only depend on
time, information, etc. but also on the extent of self-confidence that the person is making an
JIMA appropriate decision. Hence, perceived behavioral control is a major determinant of
8,4 purchase intention (Bonne et al., 2009; Chiou, 1998; Conner and Armitage, 1998).

Islamic law (Shariah) and motivation to comply

Motivation to comply with the Islamic law (which constitutes the teachings of the religion
itself) is another variable that is added as a determinant of purchase behavior in our
630 theoretical model. Religion is considered as a very important indicator in the decision-
making process regarding food in particular. Sheikh and Thomas (1994) commented that all
Muslims follow the Quran, which lays down a number of rules concerning food. For
instance, it is mandatory for all Muslims to abstain from alcohol. Most of the Muslims are
taught to follow Islamic teachings since their childhood. The elements of religion have been
instilled for long, and eventually, it has become a part of their daily lives. For example, Islam
only permits the consumption of an animal, which has been slaughtered in a prescribed way,
and it has been a norm in a Muslim’s life to eat such food. Hence, Muslims behave in
accordance to the Shariah rulings. In addition, the application of Islamic principles in
Muslim societies is likely to have far-reaching effects on various aspects.
The behavior of people in a Muslim society who claim to be applying Islamic principles
seems to lean on “niyah” or intention in doing something. For such a society, halal products
are perceived as being instrumental in meeting goals and values being a Muslim, a greater
motivation to comply with the teachings of Islamic Shariah results in developing a positive
attitude created toward acceptance and purchase of such products that are allowed in Islam.

Self-identity
Bonne et al. (2009) define self-identity as an entity that is used by people to describe
themselves. When people interact with others, they recognize and explicitly show their sense
of self. The influence of self-identity on the purchase intention has been recognized and
investigated in various studies including Armitage and Conner (1999) and Bonne et al. (2009).
In our theoretical model, self-identity of a consumer as a Muslim is taken as a determinant of
purchase intention. A person who identifies himself as a Muslim will try to follow Shariah
teachings when it comes to deciding what to purchase and what not to purchase.

Purchase intention
The most significant issue in each industry concentrates on increasing purchase intention. This
critical concept in marketing approach assists managers in deploying the proper strategies in
the marketplace related to market demands, market segmentations and promotional programs
(Tsiotsou, 2006). Purchase intention is a process to analyze and predict the behavior of
consumers (Lin and Lin, 2007) pertaining to their willingness to buy, use and their extensive
attention toward the specific brand (Changa and Liub, 2009; Shah et al., 2012). Superior
purchase intention promotes the purchase (Chen et al., 2012) because the consumer’s
experiences after purchase give a collective feeling that affects consumers to repurchase the
brand (Lin et al., 2011). To better understand the needs, expectations and perceptions of
consumers, it is important to assess the halal brand purchase intention (Shaari and Arifin,
2010). According to a study by O’Cass and Lim (2001), there is a strong relationship between
brand personality and purchase intention. Thus, by identifying the halal brand personality,
businesses are able to boost the purchase intention of consumers and change the attitude of
those consumers who see halal label as merely a spiritual issue (swine and alcohol free).
Theoretical framework. Following variables have been taken in this study: (Table I)
These variables are shown in the schematic diagram:
 Research hypotheses. The proposed hypotheses are as follows: Investigating
H1. A greater religious commitment is positively related to purchase intention.
the consumer
behavior
H2. A higher level of perceived behavioral control is associated with a higher purchase
intention.
H3. Higher level of motivation to comply is positively associated to the purchase
intention.
631
H4. A greater value of self-identity is associated positively with the purchase intention.
H5. Higher value of purchase intention is associated positively with halal endorsed
purchases.

Research methodology
To investigate the hypotheses empirically, data were collected by applying a convenience
sampling technique. To assess the distinct perception of consumers toward halal endorsed
consumer goods with purchase intention as the mediating variable, a standardized
questionnaire was developed. This questionnaire is an adapted version of a standardized
questionnaire originally developed by Ajzen (1991). To make the questionnaire appropriate
for the research based on Pakistani consumer market and to measure the variables that were
introduced in this study, a set of new questions was incorporated. These variables include
religious commitment, purchase intention and purchase of halal endorsed product.
The questionnaire was split into two sections. First section comprised questions on the
demographics of the respondents. Second section contained questions structured to measure
the respondents’ perception toward the nine independent variables, namely, self-identity,
religious commitment, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms, strength of
behavioral belief, behavioral belief, control beliefs, power of the control belief, normative
behavior, motivation to comply, one mediating variable “purchase intention” and one
dependent variable “purchase of halal endorsed product”. Multiple questions were used to
assess the perception of each variable mentioned above. Multiple scales were used in the
questionnaires. Most of the variables of interest are measured using a five-point Likert scale.
In addition, open and closed ended short questions were used.
The questionnaires were sent to 650 respondents, of which 511 questionnaires were
received, 14 questionnaires were partially filled, and so 497 questionnaires were used for the
empirical analyses.

Data collection
Initially for pilot testing, a sample of 50 respondents was surveyed. The main purpose of this
pilot survey was to evaluate the questionnaire for transparency of its contents, design,
structure and its relevance to the research problem. By using these data, pilot testing was

Sr. No. Independent variables Mediating variable Dependent variable

1. Religious Commitment Purchase Intention Purchase of halal endorsed product

2. Perceived Behavioral Control Table I.
3. Motivation to Comply Variables of the
4. Self-identity study
JIMA done. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha co-efficient were used to
8,4 ensure the presence of any relationship among the items of different constructs and to
determine the reliability of the constructs. After testing the reliability of the questionnaire
through pilot testing, remaining questionnaires were distributed. The questionnaires were
distributed among the students and employees of various departments of the University of
the Punjab, Lahore. The University of the Punjab has a diverse population of students,
632 teachers and employees belonging to several different areas of Pakistan. Being the largest
seat of learning in Pakistan, The University of the Punjab was considered as the most
appropriate and feasible source of data.
A total of 511 filled questionnaires were received. The data were entered using SPSS 20.
Fourteen questionnaires having a higher proportion of missing data were dropped. The data
comprising 497 responses were used for the analyses. The frequency profiling of all items
and constructs indicated that missing values were completely at random and there was no
pattern of missing observations observed in terms of any variables. It was also observed
that less than 5 per cent data was missing for some variables. To fill the missing
observations, median values of each variable was used. The result was a dataset with 497
observations for each variable with no missing values.

Analyses
The analyses were done in three steps. First, to assess the nature of relationship among
items that measure the six constructs and their reliability Pearson’s correlation coefficient
and Cronbach’s alpha were estimated. Next, we conducted the CFA. The sample size fairly
exceeds the criterion laid down by Hair et al. (2010), which suggests that the number of
observations should be at least five times the number of variables. In our study, there are
497 observations and the total number of variables is 11. This makes the observations to
variable ratio to be 45. This ratio is sufficiently large then the required ratio.
The data were analyzed using SPSS 20. The socio-demographic characteristics of the
complete sample are reported in Table II.
The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample indicate a fair participation of both
males (47.3 per cent) and females (52.7 per cent). Majority (86.9 per cent) was from the age
bracket of 20-25 years. This is because the data were collected from a University. The
respondents seem to possess sufficiently high level of education, as 393 respondents were
either having Master’s or MPhil degrees. This indicates that the respondents were educated
enough to rationally understand and respond to questions about their perception of the
religious commitment and purchase behavior. Most of the respondents (85.3 per cent) were
students and nearly 11 per cent of the total was professional employees. This is in
proportion to the composition of students and staff members in the University from where
the data were collected. All except one respondent were Pakistani nationals. A larger
proportion of the respondents (92.4 per cent) were single. Only about 7 per cent respondents
were married. Only those individuals were given the questionnaires that have done grocery
shopping at least once in the past one month.

Confirmatory factor analysis

As specified in Figure 1, together there are six constructs in our conceptual model. For the
constructs that define the TPB, the multi-item scale developed by Ajzen (1991) has been
utilized. For the measurement of unobserved variables introduced in this study, three multi-
item constructs have been developed. These unobserved variables include religious
commitment, motivation to comply and self-identity.
Variables Count (%)
Investigating
the consumer
Gender behavior
Male 235 (47.3)
Female 262 (52.7)
Age (years)
20-25 432 (86.9)
26-30 49 (9.9)
633
Above 31 16 (3.2)
Education
Bachelors 96 (19.3)
Masters 283 (56.9)
MPhil 110 (22.1)
Other 8 (1.6)
Profession
Student 424 (85.3)
Teacher 20 (4.0)
Professional Employee 53 (10.7)
Nationality
Pakistani 496 (99.8)
Other 1 (0.2)
Marital Status Table II.
Single 459 (92.4) Socio-demographic
Married 33 (6.6) characteristics of the
Other 5 (1.0) sample (n = 497)

Religious Commitment
H1

Perceived Behavioral H2
Control
H5 Purchase of Halal
Purchase Intention
Endorsed Products

Motivation to Comply
H3
Figure 1.
H4 Relationship between
Self- Identity study variables

Reliability and validity of measures

CFA was then applied to validate the operationalization of all the six constructs. CFA was
done using AMOS software using full sample. The final model consisted of 18 items. The
final measurement model is shown in Figure 2.
The goodness-of-fit measures show that the model satisfies the requirements of a good fit
(Hair et al., 2010). The Chi-square was 221.285 with df = 124 (p = 0.000). Other indicators of
model fit were also satisfactory according to the guidelines given in Hair et al. (2010). The
CMIN/df was 1.785, the CFI was 0.960 and NFI was 0.915. RMSEA was 0.040 (90 per cent
confidence interval: 0.031-0.048 with insignificant PCLOSE = 0.978).
JIMA
8,4

634

Figure 2.
Measurement model

To assess the validity of the constructs, four criteria are to be satisfied (for details, see Hair
et al., 2010). First, standardized loading estimates should be 0.5 or higher, and ideally 0.7 or
higher. In our case, all factor loadings (see Figure. 2) are greater than 0.5 except one. Second,
average variance extracted (AVE) should be 0.5 or greater. AVE is estimated for each
construct, and it represents convergent validity. The value of AVE larger than 0.5 represents
that convergent validity is adequate. Convergent validity is defined as the extent to which the
individual items in a construct share variance between them (Hair et al., 2010). AVE is
defined as a summary measure of convergence among a set of items representing a latent
construct. It is the average percentage of variation explained (variance extracted) among the
items of a construct. Construct’s reliability helps in evaluating the constructs. In our case,
AVE is less than 0.5 for two constructs, namely, perceived behavioral control and religious
commitment. Remaining variables have AVE equal to or larger than 0.5. Third, to ensure
discriminant validity, AVE estimates for two factors should be greater than the square of the
inter-construct correlations (SICs). The AVE values and the corresponding SICs are given in
Table III. For each of the six constructs, AVE is greater than the corresponding SICs
coefficients. Only significant correlations have been provided in Table III. This also ensures
that the constructs are unidimensional. The satisfaction of fourth condition ensures internal
consistency. For this, construct reliability should be 0.7 or higher. In Table III, the values of
construct reliability are also given. The constructs’ reliability for all constructs exceed the
threshold level of 0.7 except for two variables, namely, religious commitment and perceived
behavioral control. This indicates that the rest of four constructs show good reliability and
internal consistency. Nomological validity represents the consistency between the direction Investigating
of the relationships between the constructs and the theory. All constructs with significant the consumer
correlation coefficients indicate the direction of relationship in agreement with the theory. We behavior
can, however, conclude that the findings indicate nomological validity.
On the basis of the above discussion, we can conclude that the measurement model
adequately displays sufficient levels of reliability and validity for all the six constructs.
635
Validation of model relationships
To assess the validity of the measurement model, CFA was done using holdout sample.
Holdout sample was drawn by randomly selecting 50 per cent of the full sample. The
measures of goodness-of-fit validate the CFA done on complete sample. It also indicated
configural invariance between the two samples. The Chi-square was 893.097 with df = 511
(p = 0.000). The CMIN/df was 1.748, the CFI was 0.840 and NFI was 0.697. RMSEA was
0.055 (90 per cent confidence interval: 0.049 – 0.061 with an insignificant PCLOSE = 0.072).

Conceptual model testing

After testing for the reliability and validity of the constructs, SEM was applied to measure
the relationships between the constructs (Joreskog and Sorbom, 1979). The estimations were
made using AMOS software. The CFA model was converted to an SEM to examine the
structural paths. The final structural model is shown in Figure 3. The goodness-of-fit

Variables purchintent percbehav motivcomp religcomm purchhalal selfidentity

AVE % 0.496 0.284 0.523 0.400 0.511 0.577

Construct reliability 0.746 0.538 0.767 0.662 0.757 0.803
purchintent 0.704
percbehav 0.429 0.533
motivcomp 0.329 0.393 0.723
religcomm 0.270 0.296 0.632 Table III.
purchhalal 0.427 0.494 0.629 0.359 0.714 Reliability and
selfidentity 0.287 0.458 validity of measures

Figure 3.
SEM (full sample)
JIMA measures indicated satisfaction of the recommended guidelines by Hair et al. (2010). The
8,4 Chi-square was 457.959 with df = 130 (p = 0.000). The CMIN/df was 3.523; the CFI was 0.866
and NFI was 0.823. RMSEA was 0.071 (90 per cent confidence interval: 0.064-0.078 with
significant PCLOSE = 0.000). The analysis of the structural paths is given below.

Hypotheses testing
636 H1 to H4 test the relationship between purchase intention and the four independent variables
given in Figure 1. H5 tests the relationship between purchase intention and purchase of halal
endorsed products. H1 is significant, indicating that religious commitment is positively
associated (p = 0.055) with purchase intention. H2 is significant at 1 per cent significance level,
indicating that if the perceived behavioral control increases by one unit, there will be a 0.303
increase in the purchase intention. H3 is highly meaningful and significant and in the
hypothesized positive direction (0.380, p < 0.01). It means that higher motivation to comply is
positively and significantly associated with a higher purchase intention. H4 is also indicating a
meaningful relationship between self-identity and purchase intention. It means that if perceived
self-identity improves by one unit, the purchase intention will increase by 0.249 units (p < 0.01).
The relationship between purchase intention and purchase of halal endorsed products
(H5) is positive, meaningful and statistically significant (0.593, p < 0.000). It means that
purchase intention is a mediator between the four constructs showing different aspects of
TPB modified to present a Muslim consumer market. The positive and significant
relationship indicates that if the perceived intention to purchase increases by one unit, the
purchase of halal endorsed products will go up by 0.593 units (Table IV).

Discussion and conclusion

An extensive review of the literature shows that this study contributes significantly by
explaining the purchase behavior of Muslim consumers toward halal endorsed products in
an emerging economy like Pakistan. Previous studies show that changes in behavioral
intentions can be explained with a greater accuracy by factors such as attitude toward the
behavior, subjective norms with respect to the behavior and perceived control over the
behavior. The perceived intentions along with perceived behavioral control help in
explaining variation in the consumers’ behavior (Ajzen, 1991). In this study, in addition to
the variables accounted for in the study by Ajzen (1991), three determinants of purchase
behavior of halal endorsed goods have been introduced. These are religious commitment,
motivation to comply with Islamic law and self-identity. Previously, Bonne et al. (2007, 2009)
have taken self-identity as the mediator which mediates the impact of all the four factors of
TPB on purchase intention. In our study, self-identity has been taken as an explanatory
variable which has been observed to be significantly associated with purchase intention of
halal endorsed products.

Model relationships: Hypothesized relationship Estimate

H1. Religious Commitment ! Purchase Intention 0.112*

H2. Perceived Behavioral Control ! Purchase Intention 0.303**
H3. Motivation to Comply ! Purchase Intention 0.380**
H4. Self-identity ! Purchase Intention 0.249**
Table IV. H5. Purchase Intention ! Purchase of Halal Endorsed Products 0.593***
Model estimation
results Note: *Significance at 0.05 level; **significance at 0.01 level; ***significance at 0.000 level
 To analyze the relationships given in the conceptual model (see Figure 1), we hypothesize Investigating
that the relationship between the factors explaining theory of purchase behavior and the the consumer
purchase of halal endorsed products is mediated by the purchaser’s purchase intentions. To
test this hypothesis, SEM was applied. The results confirming TPB indicate that religious
behavior
commitment, perceived behavioral control, motivation to comply with Islamic law and self-
identity have a strong and positive effect on the intention to purchase halal endorsed
products. Hence, individuals who consider themselves as distinct Muslims, i.e. perceive that
they have a well-defined self-identity and religious commitment, consider that they have a 637
higher level of behavioral control and have a strong motivation to comply the Shariah
teachings about halal buying, indicate a stronger intention to buy halal endorsed products.
There are three major contributions of this paper. The basic contribution of this study is
that it validates the link of religious commitment, perceived behavioral control, motivation
to comply with Shariah, self-identity with purchase intention and the buying behavior in an
emerging Muslim market empirically. Second, this research study provides sufficient
evidence that even in an emerging market dominated by Muslims, TPB plays a prominent
role in influencing the purchase behavior. Third, this study introduces religious
commitment, self-identity and motivation to comply with Shariah teachings as significant
determinants of the purchase behavior. The results of this study support the findings of
previous studies. Prior research has explored almost similar relationship in the context of
markets where Muslims form minority. In addition, these studies also focus only on meat
consumption. Bonne et al. (2007, 2009) show that high levels of self-identity are associated
with greater intention to buy halal meat. In our study, consumers with a higher self-identity
show a higher tendency to purchase halal endorsed goods. Similar to our study, Alam and
Sayuti (2011) and Bonne et al. (2007) empirically prove that perceived behavioral control is
an important determinant of intention to buy halal endorsed goods. The results of this study
also conform to the findings of Wilson and Liu (2011), who have identified halal paradigm as
a dynamic and cyclical process. It is observed that halal purchase behavior is explained by a
combination of factors and each factor plays a vibrant and effective role.

Limitations
There are few limitations of this study. Although the data were collected from the students and
employees of the largest university in Pakistan, major proportion of the sample (86.9 per cent)
fall in the age group of 20-25 years. This particular aspect is observed when we look at the
empirical results. Although the results indicate a strong and positive relationship of self-
identity, perceived behavioral control and motivation to comply with intention to purchase
halal endorsed products. This study can be improved by expanding the research’s scope to the
more mature and elderly buyers and buyers with diverse ethnicity and religion those may have
greater level of control over making purchase decision regarding religiously endorsed products.

Managerial implications
There are very important implications of our results for marketers. The results show self-
identity, perceived behavioral control and motivation to comply have a strong and positive
effect on the intention to purchase halal endorsed products. The significantly rising potential
of halal products’ market can be rightly seized if the marketers emphasize on the factors
mentioned above as key determinants of consumer behavior for halal endorsed products.
It is also observed that consumers having a higher level of self-identity show a greater
intention to purchase halal goods. It implies that the marketers can tap the purchase
intention of the Muslim consumers by focusing on the development of their self-identities
and other relevant factors discussed above.
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About the authors

Dr Mubbsher Munawar Khan has done PhD in International Marketing from Vienna, Austria, with
distinction. He is the only PhD on Halal Marketing. He has won the 1st Best Paper Research Award in
5th Global Islamic Marketing Conference: Asia Leads the World 2014, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for
the paper titled “Opportunities and Challenges for Halal Endorsement in Non-Muslim Culture”. His
doctoral research titled “Conceptualizing Consumer Animosity: In-Group Reactions to Out-Group
Focused Endorsement” has been chosen by European Journal of Marketing, as Highly Commended
Award Winner of the year 2011 for “Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards”. He
was a guest speaker in World of Halal Science Industry and Business-ANUGA International
Conference 2009, Cologne, Germany. He has also presented his research papers in various other high
raking international conferences in Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Norway, Turkey,
UK and USA. His research papers have been published in various national and international journals.
Mubbsher Munawar Khan is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: mubbsher.khan@
ibapu.edu.pk
Humaira Asad earned her PhD degree from Business School, the University of Exeter, UK.
Currently, she is working as Assistant Professor at IBA, the University of the Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan. Her area of specialization is Quantitative Research Methods and Islamic Business.
Irsa Mehboob is a PhD scholar at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Punjab
University Lahore. Currently, she is working as Lecturer (visiting faculty) in Institute of Business
Administration (IBA), Punjab University as well as National University of Modern Languages
(NUML), Lahore, Pakistan. Her area of specialization is Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior.

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