A conceptualization of the role of religiosity in online collaborative consumption behavior

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of religiosity in online collaborative consumption contexts. It analyzes the impact of religiosity in influencing consumer life decisions and behaviors. The proposed framework is based on the norm activation theory (NAT) with religiosity added to it based on the extant literature. The paper aims to provide implications for marketing researchers and practitioners derived from its analysis and propositions. Design/methodology/approach The current paper proposes a model for marketing researchers to consider the role of religiosity as a cultural and psychological factor in influencing online collaborative consumption. The NAT is adopted as the base of the conceptual model. The model posits research propositions on the potential interaction of religiosity with existing relationships in the theory to predict online collaborative consumption behavior. Findings The NAT is considered a prominent model in studying pro-environmental behaviors and it was adopted in various studies. Some researchers adopted the theory to study collaborative consumption as a pro-environmental behavior. Religiosity was found to significantly impact pro-environmental behaviors, but no research was found regarding its impact on collaborative consumption. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and implications to marketing practitioners about the role of religiosity in influencing collaborative consumption behavior. Originality/value Although there were few research studies that exist in discussing the role of religiosity in explaining consumer behavior, it could be argued that this paper is the first of its kind, according to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that discusses the role of religiosity in online collaborative consumption contexts through the use of NAT.