THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ENHANCING HALAL BRANDING AND CONSUMER TRUST: A SOCIO-RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE IN WEST JAVA'S MSME SECTOR

Abstrak

This study examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing and halal branding in fostering consumer trust toward halal MSME products in West Java, with a focus on the mediating effect of socio-religious perspectives. Employing a quantitative approach, data were collected from Muslim consumers and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed relationships. The results confirm that AI-driven marketing and halal branding significantly enhance consumer trust, both directly and indirectly through socio-religious values. Notably, the integration of AI with culturally sensitive, faith-based branding emerges as a novel strategy to strengthen trust in halal MSMEs. The study contributes to the literature on Islamic marketing and digital consumer behavior by highlighting the synergy between technological innovation and religious-cultural values. Practical implications suggest that MSMEs should prioritize AI-powered personalization while embedding socio-religious messaging in their branding. Future research could explore demographic moderators or longitudinal designs to generalize these findings.