Determinants of Consumers’ Willingness to Buy Counterfeit Luxury Products: An Empirical Test of Linear and Inverted U-Shaped Relationship

Abstract

The proliferation of counterfeit luxury goods poses a great threat to the sustainable development of the luxury goods industry; it also disturbs the order of economic development, causes the aggravation of environmental pollution, and is contrary to the principle of global sustainable development. How to effectively weaken consumers’ willingness to buy counterfeit luxury products has become a focal issue. This research explores the impact of value consciousness, social risk perception, and face consciousness on the purchase intention of counterfeit luxury. In addition, this study explores the different mediating roles played by attitude. The results show that value consciousness has a significant positive impact on the counterfeit luxury purchase intention through the full mediation of attitudes. Perceived social risk not only exerts a direct negative impact on the purchase intention of counterfeit luxury products but can also indirectly influence intention through the partial mediation of attitudes. Besides, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between face consciousness and counterfeit luxury purchase intention, and attitudes play a partially mediating role in this inverted U-shaped path. This research also has certain management implications for the government and luxury products companies to formulate relevant policies and marketing strategies to curb consumers’ willingness to purchase counterfeit luxury products.