Factors influencing Muslim consumer behavior toward halal nutraceutical products

The consumption behavior of Muslims toward halal products has garnered considerable attention in recent years. While halal traditionally referred to permissible food and beverages, its scope has significantly broadened to encompass various sectors, including financial services, logistics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals. Among these sectors, nutraceutical products have grown in popularity due to their perceived health benefits and natural origins. Despite the rising popularity of nutraceuticals, existing research on halal predominantly focuses on food products, leaving a notable gap in understanding Muslim consumer behavior in this area. Therefore, this research aims to bridge this gap by investigating Muslim consumer behavior regarding halal nutraceutical products. In Islam, it is compulsory for Muslims to consume halalan tayyiban products. Therefore, choosing nutraceutical products that align with Islamic principles is crucial. However, there are concerns regarding the halal status, safety, and legal issues of nutraceuticals, emphasizing the need for empirical research in the field. Hence, the primary objective of this research is to examine the determinants influencing Muslim consumer behavior when selecting halal nutraceutical products. This study also intended to analyze the impact of the halal logo as a mediator between the independent variables and consumer behavior towards halal nutraceutical products. This study adopted the Theory of Islamic Consumer Behavior (ICB) and Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) as the underpinning theory. The research framework for this study consists of two dimensions, which are the Shariah and legal dimensions. The Shariah dimension encompasses several factors, including religious commitment, maqasid al-Shariah, Islamic values, perceived safety, perceived quality, perceived benefits, and halal literacy. Meanwhile, the legal dimension consists of legal literacy and trust in government. This study applied a quantitative approach that used a cross-sectional survey method. The probability sampling method was utilized, and a multistage proportional stratified random sampling approach was employed. Data from 400 samples from Muslim nutraceutical consumers in Malaysia were gathered and analyzed using descriptive analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings of this study revealed that perceived safety is the main determinant of consumer behavior toward halal nutraceutical products, followed by Islamic values, religious commitment, trust, maqasid al-Shariah, and halal literacy. Although perceived quality and perceived benefits were not directly influenced consumer behavior, they did have an indirect relationship with consumer behavior through the halal logo. The findings also demonstrated that the halal logo fully mediated the relationship between halal literacy and consumer behavior. In addition, the halal logo also partially mediates the relationship between Islamic values, religious commitment, trust, and perceived safety towards consumer behavior. Overall, the result provided substantial support for the model. In conclusion, this study significantly contributes to the empirical research on halal within Shariah and the legal field of study. The findings revealed that Muslims' behavior toward halal nutraceuticals was strongly influenced by their understanding of halal and the level of their religious commitment and practice. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of the halal logo as a trusted indicator of halalan tayyiban standards, emphasizing its role in helping Muslim consumers make informed choices of nutraceutical products.

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