Mobile banking usage in the postpandemic era: Demystifying the disparities among divergent user segments in a majority-Muslim country

Purpose: The COVID-19 crisis has sped up digital transformation and technologies by several years. Customers have dramatically shifted to online channels, and businesses have quickly responded by offering additional canals for online shopping and payment. Customers have also been exhibiting greater preferences for contactless payments, and mobile banking has therefore become a norm in both developed and developing countries. This study aims to understand the antecedents of mobile banking actual usage in an early adoption stage setting (i.e. Morocco) through a comprehensive conceptual model combining the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, the DeLone and McLean IS success model and additional constructs extracted from extent literature. The moderating effects of age, gender and education are also examined and analyzed using multigroup analysis. Design/methodology/approach: Based on data collected from 616 Moroccan users, the authors empirically tested the proposed conceptual model using structural equation modeling. Findings: First, consumer M-banking actual usage has a significant effect on customer satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty;at the same time, attitudinal loyalty was significantly influenced by customer satisfaction. Second, while M-banking actual usage was significantly influenced by effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, price value, habit, service quality, trust, attitude and perceived security, the results show no significant impact of system quality and information quality. Third, the relationship between M-banking actual usage and its antecedents was significantly moderated by age, gender and education. Practical implications: The findings help bank practitioners to understand the importance of meeting customers' needs and expectations as a prerequisite in enhancing actual usage, satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty. More importantly, the authors emphasize the need for demographically oriented strategies to target different demographic segments of customers. Originality/value: The study bridges a gap in M-banking literature by offering a thorough understanding of consumers' mobile banking use during the pandemic. The findings provide evidence of the applicability of the conceptual model proposed in this research. Furthermore, the reflection of the moderating effects of gender, age and education emphasizes the mobile banking usage disparities among dissimilar demographic segments. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

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

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. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

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

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. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.