Editorial: Halal Production, Services, Consumption, and Consumer Behavior

Abstract

"The Muslim population is projected to reach 2.2 billion by the year 2030. The rapid growth of the Muslim population will have a positive impact on the demand for halal products and services, as Muslims, should only consume halal products. However, due to high quality and purity, Halal products and services were only limited to Muslims, but more recently the non-Muslims have also started to enjoy its’ benefits. The scenario has encouraged more producers and manufacturers to create and produce Halal products and services even though they are not Muslims. Previously, Halal was only related to food and beverages, nowadays Halal has expanded its’ horizon to include multiple products and services such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and personal care, supply chain, banking services, and a few other products and services. On top of that nowadays, there are three categories of Halal products which are Halal certified products, non-halal certified products, but Muslim friendly, and non-Halal products.

Despite many studies conducted on Halal, psychological factors related to halal studies are still scarce. Consumer choices are influenced by various psychosocial aspects and based on various factors. Many studies have been conducted on Halal either at the organizational level or individual level of analysis. From supply chain, finance, food, and beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical and other services, however, the research on halal is still paramount among researchers, all around the globe. Thus, to fill the gaps in this area, the present call for paper aims to enhance the understanding of consumer behavior in Halal-related studies which is not limited to products and services, but any issue related to consumer's behavior related to Halal which may include psychological factors.

This special issue welcomes original research papers, on whichever methods, case studies, and research reports on the topics that have not previously been published (or any other topic that closely matches the Journal's scope). Identifying and filling the research gap is critical for a better understanding of the mechanism which enables organizations and individuals to have a better understanding of how Halal user’s behavior to help them to develop better marketing strategies to enhance adoption, or retain their current customers of halal services and products in the world market. For researchers who plan to use PLS as a tool for analysis, the special issue is looking for the most current techniques that have been developed in SmartPLS. Please follow the latest guidelines while using SmartPLS especially when forming the discriminant validity and also for assessing predictive accuracy.

In a nutshell, the purpose of this Research Topic is to present how psychological factors can help managers to develop better marketing strategies, opportunities, innovative solutions, and examples of best practices that may emerge as a result of these challenging circumstances."