Malaysian consumers' preferences for Islamic banking attributes

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the preferences of Malaysian banks' customers for Islamic banking attributes. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The paper uses mixed methodology. The quantitative approach consists of the collection of primary data through a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 500 Islamic banks' customers in Malaysia. The data gathered were analysed using factor analysis as well as Friedman test. In parallel, qualitative approach was used, in forms of semi structured interviews with ten Islamic banks' customers. The results of both approaches were then reported accordingly. Findings ‐ The quantitative approach reveals that the preference for Islamic banking attributes in Malaysia is a combination of the quality of services offered by the Islamic banks, as well as the convenience associated with it. On the other hand, the qualitative approach revealed that choosing Islamic banks was mainly due to the religious motivation of the customers. Originality/value ‐ This paper is one of the few that has used a qualitative approach to study consumer preferences for Islamic banking attributes. Furthermore, the paper employs this methodology in the context of Malaysia, which enriches the studies done in this context and area.