Factors Affecting Consumers’ Relationships With Original Brands And Their Counterfeits

The first purpose of this research was to examine the impact of three groups of antecedents on customers’ intent to buy luxury fashion designer brands versus their corresponding counterfeits.The three groups of interest refer to attitudes toward buying counterfeits(by economic and hedonic benefits),past behaviour(represented by past purchases of counterfeits and originals)and individual characteristics(social pressure,status motivation,and public self-consciousness).The second purpose was to test the moderating role of social variables such as negative social consequences,collectivism and materialism in the relationships between attitude toward buying counterfeits,between past behaviour,and individual characteristics variables,and customer purchase intention of original versus counterfeits of luxury brands.This study responded to the call for research to understand the attitudes and behavioural intentions of customers who consciously seek counterfeits of luxury brands and indulge in purchase regardless of the threat of imposed penalties(Li et al.,2018;Ngo et al.,2018).The researchers used a quantitative research methodology using face-to-face survey technique to collect cross-cultural data from respondents,500 each from Chinese and Pakistani customers.The researchers collected data from Pakistani and Chinese female customers.Moreover,the researchers used purposive and snow-ball sampling techniques to identify and collect data from current and prospective customers of ladies handbag.In the current study,the luxury product that the researchers chose is ladies handbags.The researchers collected data from the customers of luxury handbag brand and their counterfeits.In total,the researchers proposed nineteen hypotheses based on the theoretical model for both groups of sample respondents separately.Results reveal that positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by economic benefits,positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by hedonic benefits and past purchases of counterfeits relate positively and significantly with Pakistani and Chinese customers’ purchase intention of counterfeits brands.Also,positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by hedonic benefits,past purchases of originals,social pressure,customers’ motivation for status and public self-consciousness relates positively and significantly with Pakistani and Chinese customers’ purchase intention of originals brands.Similarly,results further highlighted that those Pakistani who are collectivistic and materialistic as well have positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by economics and hedonic benefits and have previously purchased experience of counterfeits are willing to purchase counterfeits.Likewise,those Chinese customers who are collectivistic,materialistic,and believe in negative social consequences attached with purchasing counterfeits as well have positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by economics and hedonic benefits,and have previously purchased experience of counterfeits are willing to purchase counterfeits.Furthermore,findings also conclude that those Pakistani and Chinese customers who are collectivistic,materialistic,and believe in negative social consequences attached with purchasing counterfeits as well have positive attitudes toward buying counterfeits by hedonic benefits,have previous purchased experience of originals,have social pressure to purchase only originals brands,are motivated for social status and practice public selfconsciousness are willing to purchase original brands as compare to counterfeits brands.The theoretical base for understanding the nature of customer purchasing behaviour related to counterfeit luxury brands as compare to original brands is still in its infancy.The current study explores the positive effect of attitudes toward buying counterfeits,past behaviour and individual characteristics on customer purchase intention of original versus counterfeits of luxury brands via social variables such as negative social consequences,collectivism and materialism.Although some studies have explored the factors involved in customer purchasing behaviour for original versus counterfeits of luxury brands,current results theoretically and empirically show that negative social consequences,collectivism and materialism enhance the positive effects of attitudes toward buying counterfeits,past behaviour and individual characteristics on customer purchase intention of original versus counterfeits of luxury brands.