Exploring the Efficacy of Consumer Education with Regard to Consumption of Branded and Luxury Counterfeit Merchandise

Abstract

<p>This study presents the topic of counterfeiting, its negative consequences and the fight against this illegal business. Consumer education was explored as a method of altering future purchase intentions of counterfeit merchandise. Results indicate strong support for the efficacy of a consumer education seminar with regard to knowledge, attitudes, and planned behavior toward the consumption of counterfeit merchandise. on demographic factors. After the educational seminar, students had a greater understanding of counterfeiting, felt more knowledgeable about the topic, acknowledged that it is illegal, realized how it affects the global economy and retailers, and linked it to social issues such as organized crime, terrorism, child labor, and sweatshops. In congruence with scholars who suggest consumer education as a vehicle to decrease counterfeit consumption, participants agreed that this seminar was educational and informative, and an effective means towards minimalizing the consumption patterns of counterfeit merchandise.</p>