Consumer demand for counterfeit goods

TLDR

Research on counterfeiting has focused on the supply side, with scant attention to consumer demand for counterfeit goods. Anticounterfeiting efforts would benefit from identifying the segments of consumers who knowingly purchase counterfeit products. The authors conducted three studies at flea markets and malls: Study 1 examined prepurchase factors, Study 2 investigated factors during purchasing, and Study 3 explored postpurchase factors. The results reveal a typology of consumer accomplices—sly shoppers who deliberately buy fakes to flaunt shrewdness and economically concerned shoppers driven by cost—and discuss implications for marketing practitioners. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Abstract

Research on counterfeiting has focused on the supply side, with scant attention to consumer demand for counterfeit goods. Anticounterfeiting efforts would benefit from the identification of the segment(s) of consumer counterfeiting accomplices, consumers who knowingly purchase counterfeit products. This article reports on three studies, conducted at flea markets and malls, that attempted to identify consumer accomplices. Study 1 investigated prepurchase factors, Study 2 focused on factors active during purchasing, and Study 3 concentrated on postpurchase factors. The results suggest the existence of a typology of consumer accomplices, sly shoppers who purposely purchase counterfeit goods to demonstrate their consumer shrewdness and economically concerned shoppers whose intentional purchase of fake goods is driven by economic concerns. Implications for marketing practitioners are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.