لخّصلي

The purpose of the study is to investigate the association between religiosity and intentions to purchase brands within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a society currently undergoing economic progress and societal transformation (Nurunnabi, 2017).While existing research has examined religiosity's role in shaping consumer preferences, the specific focus of Saudi Arabia's transition from religious conservatism to a more liberal ethos remains uncharted territory.As a result of Vision 2030, the strategic plan presented by the Saudi government and supported by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is to achieve economic diversification through the exploration of alternative income sources (Thompson, 2017, p. 205).However, societal changes do not consistently align with government initiatives, leading to the following professional question: To what extent do Saudi individuals perceive Western brands differently, and does religiosity contribute to elucidating these variations?Yet, despite government efforts, societal transformation lags, raising the query of how Saudis perceive Western brands amid religiosity variations (Tlaiss et al., 2022).Saudi Arabia's profound societal transformation is marked by a shift away from its historical identity as a conservative religious society towards a more liberal and open-minded outlook (Abbas, 2019; Tlaiss et al., 2022).This divergence between institutional endeavours and the broader societal response raises questions regarding the perceptions and attitudes of Saudi consumers towards Western brands (Islam & Chandrasekaran, 2019).

The purpose of the study is to investigate the association between religiosity and
intentions to purchase brands within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a society currently
undergoing economic progress and societal transformation (Nurunnabi, 2017). As a result of
Vision 2030, the strategic plan presented by the Saudi government and supported by Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman is to achieve economic diversification through the exploration
of alternative income sources (Thompson, 2017, p. 205). However, societal changes do not
consistently align with government initiatives, leading to the following professional question:
To what extent do Saudi individuals perceive Western brands differently, and does religiosity
contribute to elucidating these variations?
1.1 Research Background
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now going through a substantial process of change in
order to realise Vision 2030 across all domains, with a particular focus on the economic
sphere. This transformation entails a shift away from reliance on oil as the sole source of
revenue and instead seeks to diversify the country's income streams. The objective of this
change is to augment the economic contributions made by various ministries and entities,
thereby fostering growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) (Nurunnabi, 2017).
Thus, Saudi Arabia's growing fashion market, driven by economic growth and
societal change, presents an appealing landscape for global brands (Pilotti, 2021). With a
GDP per capita (23,185US$) comparable to that of advanced nations like the UK
(46,510US$) and the US (70,248US$), the country’s purchasing power is substantial (WTO,
2023). Concurrently, the shift from a conservative religious society to a more liberal one has
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involved removing religious police and promoting gender equality (Sian et al., 2020). Yet,
despite government efforts, societal transformation lags, raising the query of how Saudis
perceive Western brands amid religiosity variations (Tlaiss et al., 2022).
Saudi Arabia’s profound societal transformation is marked by a shift away from its
historical identity as a conservative religious society towards a more liberal and open-minded
outlook (Abbas, 2019; Tlaiss et al., 2022). The cumulative effect of these initiatives is
ushering in a modernization process that aims to reshape both the public and private spheres
of Saudi society. Despite the concerted efforts of the Saudi government to expedite this
process of societal metamorphosis, it is evident that certain aspects of transformation are
advancing at a different pace (Mezran & Perteghella, 2021).
This divergence between institutional endeavours and the broader societal response
raises questions regarding the perceptions and attitudes of Saudi consumers towards Western
brands (Islam & Chandrasekaran, 2019). As religiosity remains an influential factor in
shaping the values of Saudi society, understanding its impact on the intention to purchase
brands is imperative (Çavuşoglu et al., 2023). While existing research has examined
religiosity's role in shaping consumer preferences, the specific focus of Saudi Arabia's
transition from religious conservatism to a more liberal ethos remains uncharted territory.