IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
| Title: | Counterfeiting in Singapore: Understanding Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions |
| Author: | Agnes Lee, Min Teah and Ian Phau [Curtin University of Technology] |
| Source: | Marketing Insights Working Paper Series 2008011 |
| Year: | 2008 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | Counterfeiting |
| Focus: | Brands (non-deceptive counterfeits), Luxury Goods |
| Country/Territory: | Singapore |
| Objective: | To examine the factors that influence the attitudes of Singaporean consumers towards counterfeits of luxury brands. |
| Sample: | 204 postgraduate students from a large university |
| Methodology: | Self-administered questionnaire |
Main Findings
The study found that consumers with favourable attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands also have stronger intentions to purchase counterfeits of luxury brands.
Attitudes towards counterfeit luxury goods depend on:
- level of price-quality inference [inference of quality by the price level: equating high (low) price with high (low) quality]: consumers with strong price-quality inference have a more negative attitude towards counterfeit luxury brands
- social influence: group pressure and group norms influence consumer preference for original or counterfeit luxury brands
Brand consciousness (awareness of a brand and its distinctness), personal gratification (the need for a sense of accomplishment and social recognition), value consciousness (concern for paying lower prices) and brand prestige were not found to have an impact on consumer attitudes towards counterfeit luxury brands.
The study authors highlight the following managerial implications: firstly, emphasis on personal image: anti-counterfeiting campaigns should emphasise the embarrassment consumers using fake designer goods experience when peers discover their fakes (“loss of face” as a deterrent against the use of counterfeits). Secondly, in order to avoid being too easily imitated, luxury brand owners should pay attention to product differentiation and innovation, which will also reinforce the perception that consumers are paying high prices for innovative and quality products.
Thirdly, governments and luxury brand owners should work together to educate the masses about the negative impacts of counterfeiting and the health hazards associated with it (e.g. no quality and safety assurances). Lastly, they argue that both counterfeit sellers and counterfeit buyers should be held responsible for their actions.
[Date Added: Apr 3, 2009 ]