Counterfeit Consumers

Product characteristics is the first category. This category includes price, investment risk, product type (e.g. Albers-Miller, 1999), product scarcity, product attributes (e.g. Bloch et al., 1993), style/fashion ability etc.

Regarding the price, Poddar et al. (2012) found that consumers express greater intention to buy the counterfeit product as the price difference between the original and the fake product increases. Price is without a doubt the biggest advantage and main driver to buy a counterfeit. The consumer gets the prestige of the original brand, without paying for it (Bloch, 1993).

Cordell et al. (1996), determine a link between the likelihood of buying counterfeits and the investment-at-risk (financial risk and performance risk)

In the literature, contradictory results have been found regarding the age of counterfeit consumers. Some researchers state that the most likely buyers of fakes are younger consumers (Tom et al., 1998; Kapferer, 2014), whereas other researchers argue that age has no impact on the intent to purchase counterfeits (Bloch et al., 1993; Wee et al., 1995).

Social status has an influence as well since consumers of counterfeit products often buy them in order to show that they belong to a particular social group or want to improve their social standing. They want to demonstrate that they can afford branded goods and often use the product for symbolic self-extension (Eisend & Schuchert-Güler, 2006).

However, Ting et al. (2016) have found that status consumption negatively influences consumer attitudes toward counterfeit luxury goods.

After all, status consumers are more status conscious to show accomplishments through possessions and have unfavorable attitudes toward counterfeit luxury goods (Harun et al., 2012; Phau & Teah, 2009; Phau et al., 2009).??? Nog

These many other influencing factors are readily compatible with the five categories suggested. However, it also occurs that consumers are unwilling to purchase the original brand, and therefore choose to purchase fakes.

Consumers can deliberately purchase counterfeits in order to show their discontent with the way things are. For example, some individuals link the use of luxury goods with social inequality and have therefore a negative attitude towards the use of luxury goods. In this point of view purchasing counterfeits is a way to oppose the gap between the rich and poor. By this research conducted in Vietnam some respondents also said “they would rather buy counterfeits because they refuse to pay the premium for something produced in their own country and at a very low cost” (Thaichon et al., 2016).

This example shows that motivations and other determining factors can differ depending on the nationality of the consumer.

Others see nothing wrong with purchasing counterfeits because they perceive prices of designer products to be unfair to consumers (Tom et al.,