Purpose–Due to economic growth and increasing the population of Islamic societies in the world,marketing studies have become more essential in these societies. This paper aims to study the relationshipbetween Islamic religiosity and conspicuous consumption in Mashhad, the second-most populous city in theIslamic Republic of Iran, as a case of Islamic societies in the Middle East.Design/methodology/approach–The data were collected by a survey of 534 respondents in Mashhadand stratified random sampling was applied.Findings–Unlike the majority of former investigations, the results showed that there is a positiverelationship between Islamic religious commitment and conspicuous consumption. Furthermore,gender, social media and income are important factors in explaining the extent of conspicuousconsumption.Practical implications–Luxury companies can use the results of this research to invest in Islamiccountries where there is a great demand for luxury items. Additionally, it is recommended for thesecompanies to use the potential opportunity of social media which is extremely popular in Muslim countries toadvertise their products to a large population at a low price.Originality/value–The results of this study can challenge the conventional understanding of therelationship between Islamic religiosity and conspicuous consumption. According to the results ofthis paper, in the Middle East Islamic rich countries, it seems that Muslims have a positive attitudetoward conspicuous consumption, although Islam disapproves consuming excessively by the notionof Israf.

Keywords