Arabian Gulf innovator attitudes for online Islamic bank marketing strategy Matt Elbeck College of Business, Troy University, Dothan, Alabama, USA, and Evangellos-Vagelis Dedoussis Department of Management, School of Business, American University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – This paper’s aim is to guide online Islamic bank marketing strategy. Design/methodology/approach –A study in 1999 interviewed 120 innovators about their attitudes and preferences to a hypothetical online Islamic bank, and replicated in 2009 for existing online Islamic banks using a sample of 220 innovators. Findings – The ten-year replication interval reveals increased internet and online bank usage, higher household incomes and concerns about security (fraud, theft, and hacking). Criteria describing a bona fide online Islamic bank are inconsistent and do not strongly reflect Sharia, suggesting a vague marketspace position. Similarities between online Islamic bank innovator attitudes and preferences with online bank innovators allows online Islamic banks confidence in the use of best practices in online marketing strategy. Practical implications – The 2009 study offers present-day insights for online Islamic bank marketing strategy development, with 48 percent planning to open an online Islamic bank (51 percent have a retail branch Islamic bank account) citing time savings and 24-hour access as primary advantages, with online security as the major impediment. For product mix, preferred investment products include real estate, construction and restaurants, whilst popular bank services include the ability to view and transfer across accounts, investment portfolio variety, and ease to open new accounts. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to address marketing issues about the burgeoning online Islamic bank market. Keywords Banking, Marketing strategy, Online operations, Electronic commerce, Innovation, Islam Paper type Case study 1. Introduction Islamic banks have embraced online distribution as a means to offer their services 24/7 throughout the world. This innovative approach follows earlier participation by conventional banks (Fox and Beier, 2006; Guerrero et al., 2007; Lee et al., 2005) that identified profitable opportunities relative to retail branch banking (DeYoung et al., 2007; Hernando and Nieto, 2005, Sarel and Marmorstein, 2003), swiftly morphing from informational to transaction-based web sites to facilitate customer acquisition and retention (Mols, 1999, 2001). The underlying construct for online bank growth and success is marketing strategy to which online Islamic banks would benefit by focusing resources to increase sales and dominate a target market. The purpose of this study is to explore the design of online Islamic bank marketing strategy based on consumer innovator perceptions. We bypass typical underlying adoption constructs of perceived ease of use, usefulness, voluntariness and image The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1759-0833.htm JIMA 1,3 268 Journal of Islamic Marketing Vol. 1 No. 3, 2010 pp. 268-285 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1759-0833 DOI 10.1108/17590831011082437