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Exploring the Gift-Giving Rituals of the New Middle-Class Consumers in a Muslim Society

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Marketization

Abstract

Gift-giving rituals in a Muslim society from a new middle-class consumer perspective create interesting insights for businesses. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, the current study provides valuable findings with the help of the grounded theory. How does the gift-giving ritual proceed? What are the factors that influence the gift-giving process? In an effort to understand the gift-giving behavior in a Muslim society, this study also relates the gift-giving behavior with religiosity. Gift-giver’s income, gift-giver’s identity, recipient’s characteristics, perceived degree of the relationship between the gift-giver and the recipient, religiosity, and childhood memories affect the gift-giving of the new middle-class consumers in Turkey. Symbolic messages represented by the gift are mostly evoking happiness, feeling important, cared, and loved. If the gift is appreciated, the relationship between the gift-giver and the recipient strengthens and thus, gift-giving continues. If the gift is not appreciated, the relationship weakens and gift-giving ends. Furthermore, if the gift-giver is a friend or colleague and the gift is for a birthday or a wedding, reciprocity and obligation become prominent along with face-saving, group-conformity and reciprocal altruistic motivations. Altruism is more salient in giving gifts to the consumer’s family.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bartin University, Bartın, Turkey

    Aybegüm Güngördü Belbağ

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  1. Aybegüm Güngördü Belbağ
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Correspondence to Aybegüm Güngördü Belbağ .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marketing Department, XLRI—Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India

    Himadri Roy Chaudhuri

  2. Marketing Department, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Russell W. Belk

Appendix: Summary of Selected Studies on Gift-Giving

Appendix: Summary of Selected Studies on Gift-Giving

Author, Year

Method

Key findings

Schwartz (1967)

Conceptual

Gift-giving is a mode of social control and expression of unfriendliness

Belk (1976)

Quantitative

Gift-giving consists of the similarities between the giver and the recipient, and the giver’s likeliness of the gift

Banks (1979)

Conceptual

Gift-giving involves both the giver and the recipient. It requires four stages such as purchase, interaction/exchange, consumption, and communication/feedback

Belk (1982)

Experimental design

Gift-giving situations differ in involvement and this affects the amount of care and money devoted to the purchase among other factors

Sherry (1983)

Conceptual

Gift-giving behavior includes stages such as gestation, prestation, and reformulation. Gift-giving motivations can be altruistic or agonistic

Wolfinbarger (1990)

Qualitative

There are three types of motivation for giving gifts: altruistic giving, compliance with social norms, and self-interested giving

Goodwin et al. (1990)

Quantitative

Gifts to casual friends and business associates are obligatory. Voluntary givers expect an emotional response. Obligatory givers expect tangible gifts

Beatty et al. (1991)

Quantitative

There are self-respect givers and relationship givers considering their values

Belk and Coon (1991)

Qualitative

The process of gift-giving and paying for dates is generally seen to become easier and less expensive as the relationship becomes more longstanding

Belk and Coon (1993)

Qualitative

Gift-giving represents both an instrumental exchange and an expression of agapic love for dating gifts

Wolfinbarger and Yale (1993)

Quantitative

There are three motivations for giving gifts: experiential, obligated, and practical attitudes. Some gifts are symbolic of the self of the giver or the giver’s perception of the receiver and have many meanings attached to them

McGrath et al. (1993)

Qualitative

Gift-giving should be selfless and heartfelt. The reception of the gift should be pleasurable, surprising, and desired

Park (1998)

Both qualitative and quantitative

Confucian collectivistic and individualistic values are significant in explaining differences in cross-cultural gift-giving

Ruffle (1999)

Psychological game-theoretic model

Surprise, disappointment, embarrassment, and pride arise from comparing players’ beliefs about the gift they will give or receive to the actual choice of gift. Depending on beliefs and the cost of the gift, a gift-giving, a nongift-giving, or only a mixed-strategy equilibrium may exist

Yau et al. (1999)

Conceptual

Gift-giving behavior among Hong Kong consumers is mediated by cultural values such as face-saving, reciprocity, and relationship

Huang and Yu (2000)

Quantitative

Gifts can delay the timing of a relationship’s dissolution

Rugimbana et al. (2003)

Qualitative

Gift-giving motivations of young males on Valentine’s day are obligation, self-interest, and altruism

Ertimur and Sandıkçı (2005)

Qualitative

Utilitarian and symbolic motives simultaneously influence the decision to give gold jewelry and coins as gift items

Cakir et al. (2006)

Case study

Different shopping centers create experiences for valentines to trigger their emotions, positively in St. Valentine’s Day. They also create value and reflection upon the relationships between individuals

Clarke (2007)

Qualitative

Experiences are bought as gifts. Experience gift-giving involves surprise, suspense, sacrifice, and sharing

Qian et al. (2007)

Quantitative

Chinese cultural values have positive effects on the various gift-giving behaviors during the Chinese New Year

Batinga et al. (2017)

Qualitative

There are traces of materialism and secularism in Children’s Christmas letters to Santa Claus

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Belbağ, A.G. (2020). Exploring the Gift-Giving Rituals of the New Middle-Class Consumers in a Muslim Society. In: Roy Chaudhuri, H., Belk, R. (eds) Marketization. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4514-6_4

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