This research is conducted to examine the college students' purchase behavior of counterfeits. In this paper, three factors are considered. First, the personal factor indicates the relationship between consumers and luxury brands, and conspicuous prop...
This research is conducted to examine the college students' purchase behavior of counterfeits. In this paper, three factors are considered. First, the personal factor indicates the relationship between consumers and luxury brands, and conspicuous propensity. Second, the social factor presents syntony and the possibility of social recognition. Finally, the product factor is the similarity of counterfeits and originals. The study analyses the impact of three factors on the perceived consumption value and the attitudes towards counterfeits. In addition, it also investigates, from the framework of causal relationship, the impact of the perceived consumption value on the attitudes towards counterfeits and the purchase intention of counterfeits in the future. In order to achieve such purpose, a survey is conducted for one month to college students in the Gwang-ju and Jeonnamn region, who had an experience of using counterfeits. The total surveys used for the final analysis are 364 copies, and the results of analysis through SPSS 10.1 and LISREL 8.3 programs are as followings:
First, it is found that the stronger relationship consumers and luxury brands have, the less perceived consumption value and the attitudes towards counterfeits come out. Therefore, it can be understood that if someone has strong relationship with luxury brands, they don’t want to buy counterfeits because of the negative perception on counterfeits.
Second, it appears that when students' conspicuous propensity is strong, the perceived consumption value is significantly influenced, but not the attitudes towards counterfeits. This finding implies that the students who have conspicuous propensity establish a significant value of originals. Besides, the stronger their conspicuous propensity is, the more attached they are to luxury brands, being conscious of others.
Third, it is revealed that the syntony propensity of college students significantly affects the perceived consumption value and the attitudes towards counterfeits. It suppose that high propensity of syntony results in strong perception on the perceived consumption value of counterfeits since the perception of counterfeits is positively established when fellow workers or friends use counterfeits. In addition, the syntony is regarded as creating positive attitudes towards counterfeits. This is interpreted to be due to the fact that college students are easily affected by collective norms or peer pressures. Accordingly, manufacturers of luxury brands are recommended to produce new products aiming at college students to suit their needs and propensities. The counterfeits markets, in fact, show high-priced imitation products and thus the distribution of counterfeits can be stopped when the manufacturers of luxury brands develop more market branches of new products to attract the youth.
Fourth, because the possibility of social recognition is shown to significantly influence the perceived consumption value and the attitudes towards counterfeits, the hypothesis was supported. This suggests that the perceived consumption value and the attitudes towards counterfeits are weaker when people around the users recognize that the products are counterfeits. Therefore, manufacturers of luxury brands should develop specialized originality that counterfeits manufacturers can't replicate. Then the college students' hope will get unrewarded that the purchased counterfeits look like genuine products. It is important to develop technical skills and designs that imitation manufacturers can't counterfeit however delicately they would do.
Fifth, the similarity of counterfeits and originals gave a significant influence on the perceived consumption value and thus the hypothesis is accepted. Yet it did not show significant influence on the attitudes. As a result, it looks like the more similar the counterfeits are, the higher the perceived consumption value is. Why people use more counterfeits if it looks like real is that they are much cheaper than real, but still have a valuable because of the typical design and brand name.
Sixth, it appears to be true that the perceived consumption value has a significant influence on the attitudes to the imitation and the future intention of counterfeits purchase. If the perceived consumption value is much higher, the attitudes toward the counterfeits become more positive and moreover the future intention of purchase is absolutely followed by that, the perceived consumption value of the counterfeit. Therefore, manufacturers should make the proper marketing strategy which provides easy access to originals for the student customers rather than allow them to perceive the consumption value of counterfeits.
In conclusion, the analysis shows that the attitudes toward counterfeits have a favorable impact upon the purchase intention. So, manufacturers of luxury brands need to concern with the purchase intention of student consumers.