The Role of Local MSMEs of Brunei Darussalam in Promoting Halal Lifestyle through Modest Fashion

Abstract

Brunei Darussalam is one of the countries that recognizes the potential and capabilities of Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in achieving the National Vision 2035 goal of a dynamic and sustainable economy. Additionally, the MSMEs of Brunei Darussalam wish to enter the Ḥalāl market. Beyond food, ḥalāl now encompasses other aspects of life, such as modest fashion. Although the fashion industry in Brunei Darussalam is still in its infancy, it is growing steadily. The marketing mix and the Theory of Planned Behaviour were used to explain the role of MSMEs in promoting the ḥalāl lifestyle through modest fashion. The objectives of the study were to evaluate how local MSMEs in Brunei Darussalam play their role in promoting the ḥalāl lifestyle through modest fashion using marketing mix tools (product, place, and promotion) and then to examine how respondents perceive the marketing mix tools (product, place, and promotion) used by local MSMEs in Brunei Darussalam. Identify the factors that influence the preferences of respondents toward modest fashion. The data was collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Five informants were interviewed to obtain in-depth information from the head and senior management personnel chosen for the qualitative approach. This study simultaneously collected responses from 248 customers in Brunei using a Google form. The data were quantitatively analysed using the software SPSS (version 22). In contrast, qualitative data were coded manually using Microsoft Word. The majority of findings indicate that local MSMEs have fulfilled their role in promoting modest fashion, as respondents agree that their marketing strategies influenced them to purchase products from local MSMEs.