An alternative model of self-congruity for Islamic banking customers: a multi-dimensional approach / Jamaliah Mohd. Yusof, Shahira Ariffin and Atiqah Nabila Abu Hanipah

The concept of congruity between self-image and image of an object such as product, brand, or retailers has dominated many discussions among marketing and retailing authors. The congruity between the two variables is found to influence preference, choice, loyalty, purchase intention, and patronage intention. Nevertheless, the concept being studied in the context of Islamic banking has been very few. As one of the major economic generators for the country which involves variations of cultural backgrounds and religions, it is imperative to explore how the theory holds across this broad spectrum of Islamic banking customers. The link between self-image and Islamic banking image congruity and other behavioural constructs such as functional Islamic image, social responsibility image, emotional attachment, and purchase intention in the context of financial industry in Malaysia has also received little attention. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to examine an alternative model self-congruity in Islamic banking context using constructs that include Islamic banking image, self-image, and purchase intention of the Islamic banking products. The study will explore the social responsibility image, functional Islamic image, and emotional attachment of customers of Islamic banking. Self-image congruence can also facilitate positive behaviour and attitudes toward Islamic Banking products. Self-image congruity was a very strong predictor of consumers Islamic Banking preferences and a good predictor of consumer satisfaction. Respondents with higher levels of selfimage congruity were more likely to prefer the products and enjoy higher levels of satisfaction with the products as compared to those with lower levels of self-image congruity. The study will discuss the implications for Islamic Banking Managers so that they can position their products in an effective way. In order to provide valid attributes, a preliminary phase of qualitative research will be conducted to collect the constructs relevant to the population being studied. Techniques such as free-elicitation, content analysis and focus group interviews will be conducted which will be followed subsequently with a quantitative technique to collect the primary data. To analyse the data and validate the relationships among various variables, a structural equation model using AMOS along with SPSS software will be used. The empirical results are expected to affirm the applicability of the concept of self-image and Islamic banking image congruity for financial research. In addition, the results will also help the Islamic banking to segment this market accordingly. Also, the important Islamic banking image will also be identified for bankers to formulate their strategies. This study effectively delineates empirical evidence on the attitudinal differences of Malaysian customers toward Islamic banking services. As the competition among the banking service providers rose rapidly, concerns on customers’ attitudinal behaviours in the banking markets virtually became the focus of academic and field researches. It is desired that this research impart a fundamental step toward establishing a theoretical plus empirical basis for understanding the interaction in the Islamic banking sector. It is also necessary that the government and, as well as, the Islamic banking authorities will take action plans directed toward spreading the culture of Islamic banking via specialized courses and organized seminars as in the case of traditional banking. This would catalyse the power of the financial structure besides incrementing the fullest capacity of the Islamic banking system and boosting its future growth and development.