Objective - This paper explores the relationship between consumer religion and store loyalty, to empirically test whether this relationship can be mediated by consumer trust. This study draws its theoretical foundations from literature focused on customers interpersonal relationships with salespeople and customer trust, in particular the study by Sheth (1983) on Shopping Preference Theory.

Methodology/Technique - A randomly selected sample of Mauritian grocery shoppers is used in this study. The data was collected through a telephone interview of 409 grocery shoppers. The final sample consisted of 49.4% Hindus, 17.4% Muslims and 33.2% Catholics, reflecting the religious portion of the Mauritian population.

Findings - The use of regression analysis shows that religious commitment has a significant relationship with store loyalty. When trust is introduced into the model, this significant relationship becomes insignificant, demonstrating how religious commitment strongly influences trust.

Research limitations/implications - The findings are limited to grocery shoppers in Mauritius. Generalisation of the results is achieved by broadening the context of shopping activities examined, for example, to include online shopping for durable and non-durable products. Examining a broader group of religions may also be considered.

Novelty - The mediation model proposed in this study demonstrates the significance of the mediating role of trust in the relationship between consumer religious preferences and their loyalty to shops. To date, this topic has been given little attention at the retail level. These findings address the gap in the religious domain by focusing more significantly on ways to improve store loyalty through the use of trust in the retail setting, in areas where the market is highly religious.

Type of Paper - Empirical

Keywords: Religious Affiliation; Religious Commitment; Store Loyalty; Store Trust.

JEL Classification: M10, Z12