Abstract

This study aims to investigate and examine the role of religio-centric fashion advantage in mediating the relationship of innovativeness and customers responsiveness with marketing performance in religious-based fashion industry. Structural equation modelling is used to test the research hypotheses on data basis of Islamic small fashion business in Indonesia. The data is taken from the responses of 335 respondents; questionnaire is distributed to the owner and manager of Islamic small fashion business in Central Java-Indonesia. The finding shows that innovativeness and customer responsiveness can increase marketing performance through religio-centric market advantage. Religio-centric fashion advantage arises from innovation capability and customers respond, and enables small businesses to increase marketing performance.By examining various literatures on resource-based view, market orientation, small business performance, entrepreneurship, and customer religiosity, this research offers a unique analysis about innovativeness and customers responsiveness as well as their impact on marketing performance in religious-based industry that receives less attention from researchers. Conceptual discussion and empirical result widen the previous research about innovation culture and customers orientation on small business become more specifically based on religion.

Key words Innovativeness, Customers Responsiveness, Religio-centric Fashion Advantage, Marketing Performance