How Religion Affects Consumer Behavior Consumer Attitudes And Seasonal Demand For Products

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2018 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: 14, Leuven Catholic University, course: Economic Anthropology, language: English, abstract: This paper investigates how religion influences consumer behavior and the associated impact on the economy. Business organizations are set up with the aim of making a profit. The primary objective of any business is to maximize returns, and all efforts are directed towards this aim. Firms make a profit by selling goods and services to the customers. Therefore, high sales volume would translate to high returns for a company. The amount of goods and services sold by a company depends on the demand. When the demand for products is high, there is an increase in the sales and this translates to economic growth. This implies that there is a direct link between how people consume products and economy. It is worth noting that consumer behavior is a significant determinant of demand. However, consumer behavior is influenced by religion as it affects people's values and actions. It affects how and when consumers spend their money.

Examining how religion influences the dynamics of consumption in developing nations, this book illuminates the strategic placement of these nations on the global marketing stage both in terms of their current economic outlook and potential for growth.

This book concentrates on understanding the relationship of religiosity with various aspects of consumption and consumer behaviour to improve policy and build on an under represented topic.

Religion is a topic that businesses often ignore, in spite of 70% of the world being religious. Whether the silence results from the taboo nature of the topic or the thought that religion is a separate domain from consumption and business, the scant attention cannot be denied. Many do not realize or simply resist the idea that religion is a key contributor to a consumer's core values, which then contribute to consumption decisions, voting practices, reaction to pro-social messages and public policy, as well as donating behavior. The field of behavioral economics discusses how various social and cognitive factors influence economic decision making, which encompasses consumer decision making in business and public policy. This field needs to incorporate religion as an influencer to economic decision making. To be able to manage a business effectively, or carry out public policy decisions, the influence of believe systems and religion must be taken into account. Thus, this book provides one of the first comprehensive investigations into the relation between religion and behavioral economics. It is relevant to current managers, anyone involved in the marketing, MBA students, and also upper-division undergraduate students. Each of these groups will benefit from a clear understanding of religious groups and how religion influences consumer decision making.

During the twentieth century, religion has gone on the market place. Churches and religious groups are forced to 'sell god' in order to be attractive to 'religious consumers'. More and more, religions are seen as 'brands' that have to be recognizable to their members and the general public. What does this do to religion? How do religious groups and believers react? What is the consequence for society as a whole? This book brings together some of the best international specialists from marketing, sociology and economics in order to answer these and similar questions. The interdisciplinary book treats new developments in three fields that have hitherto evolved rather independently: the commoditization of religion, the link between religion and consumer behavior, and the economics of religion. By combining and cross-fertilizing these three fields, the book shows just what happens when religions become brands.

This book sheds light on the consumption of spiritual products, services, experiences, and places through state-of-the-art studies by leading and emerging scholars in interpretive consumer research, marketing, sociology, anthropology, cultural, and religious studies. The collection brings together fresh views and scholarship on a cultural tension that is at the centre of the lives of countless individuals living in postmodern societies: the relationship between the material and the spiritual, the sacred and the profane. The book examines how a variety of agents - religious institutions, spiritual leaders, marketers and consumers - interact and co-create spiritual meanings in a post-disenchanted society that has been defined as a 'supermarket of the soul.' Consumption and Spirituality examines not only religious organizations, but also brands and marketers and the way they infuse their products, services and experiences with spiritual meanings that flow freely in the circuit of culture and can be appropriated by consumers even without purchase acts. From a consumer perspective, the book investigates how spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences are now embedded into a global consumer culture. Rather than condemning consumption, the chapters in this book highlight consumers' agency and the creative processes through which authentic spiritual meanings are co-created from a variety of sources, local and global, and sacred and profane alike.

One of the major knowledge challenges in the domain of Resilient and Sustainable Food Systems refers to the integration of perspectives on consumption, patterns that support public health, inclusive value chains, and environmentally sustainable food production. While there is a long record of the analysis of separate interventions, this special issue generates integrated insights, provides cross-cutting perspectives, and outlines practical and policy solutions that address these global challenges.The collection of papers promotes the view that sustainable food systems require thorough insights into the structure and dynamics of agri-food production systems, the drivers for integrating food value chains and markets, and key incentives for supporting healthier consumer choices. On the production side, potential linkages between agricultural commercialization and intensification and their effects for food security and nutritional outcomes are analyzed. Value Chains are assessed for their contribution to improving exchange networks and markets for food products that simultaneously support efficiency, circularity, and responsiveness. Individual motives and market structures for food consumption need to be understood in order to be able to outline suitable incentives to enhance healthy dietary choice.The contributed papers focus on interfaces between food system activities and processes of adaptive change that are critical for overcoming key constraints and trade-offs between sustainable food and healthy diets.