Selina Mahlangu, Irvine Langton, Chengedzai Mafini

Abstract

An array of counterfeit goods has been sold in the last two decades which has precipitated this market to become the fastest-growing illicit economies in developed and developing economies. Counterfeiting is propelled by the availability, affordability and close approximations of the genuine versions. The study examines the influence of materialism, hedonic consumption motive, utilitarian consumption motive, personal gratification and novelty-seeking on university students’ attitudes to purchase counterfeit sportswear products at a selected Higher Education Institution. A structured questionnaire solicited data through a convenient sample of 327 respondents selected from registered students at an institution in the 2020 academic year. Descriptive statistics, correlations and regression analysis were used to evaluate relationships between constructs. Two predictor variables, namely, utilitarian motive and novelty-seeking showed significant predictive relationships towards attitudes in counterfeit sportswear purchases among students. Attitudes towards counterfeits also emerged as a significant predictor of students’ willingness towards counterfeit sportswear purchases. Brand marketers should emphasise the utility value inherent in the purchase of authentic branded products in their marketing campaigns as opposed to buying counterfeits. It is critical for marketers of branded products to promote the contrast of originals and counterfeits to underline the quality and dependability of authentic products in the marketplace.