ABSTRACT
A substantial body of research examines the role of religion, religious affinity and culture on consumers’ attitudes, judgements and behaviour. However, relatively scarce research investigates how religion/religious beliefs exert their influence on consumers’ consumption practices. Prior research on the interrelatedness between religion, culture and religious affiliation, in the context of consumption is disparate and lacks clarity, as catering to devout consumers in multicultural societies with different religious identities continues to prove a challenging aspect of the marketing practice. Moreover, the notion of understanding religion, as principally a matter of ethics, morals and values, must now be revised to also account for factors principally related to the psychology of consciousness. Addressing the gaps in the aforementioned areas of religion and culture, this chapter examines the influence of religion/religiosity on consumption relevant to marketing, taking into consideration the potential interaction of the states of consciousness. The findings of this chapter provide scholars a new direction to look towards particular ways and approaches of thinking about religion and consumption, survey the domains of religion, culture, consciousness and marketing, and discern priorities for future research.
