Consumer Buying Attitudes towards Counterfeit and Green Products: Application of Social Comparison Theory and Materialism

Abstract

Counterfeiting and purchase of counterfeits has been a global issue since years and it seems to be growing, it gives rise to criminality and many other economic problems. It does not only affect economic environment but ecological environment as well. Hence, this research aims to find out the factors that make people purchase counterfeits and factors that affect green consumption with respect to materialism. The purpose of our research is to emphasize on the factors namely; Self-Esteem, Social Media Usage, Religiosity and Individual values specifically Self-Enhancement, Self-Transcendence Values that affect purchase of counterfeit and green consumption and their relationship with three aspects of materialism. Findings illustrate new relations, which showed that materialism mediates the relationship between Social Media Usage and Purchase of counterfeits; Self-Enhancement Values and Purchase of counterfeits; Self-Esteem and Purchase of counterfeits and Religiosity and Purchase of counterfeits.