ABSTRACT
Examining pu chase in en ion owa ds
coun e ei luxu y goods: The ole o social
and pe sonali y ac o s
P o Nicole Cunningham
Depa men o Ma ke ing Managemen
Uni e si y o Johannesbu g
[email p o ec ed]
The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew
Volume 21, Issue 2, No embe 2025, Pages 34-50
Doi: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17340650
This s udy in es iga es he in luence o social and pe sonali y ac o s on consume s’ a i udes and in en ions
owa ds pu chasing coun e ei luxu y goods in an eme ging ma ke con ex . D awing on he heo y o planned beha iou ,
he esea ch in eg a es pe sonali y ac o s ( alue consciousness, in eg i y, s a us consump ion, b and consciousness,
and pe sonal g a i ica ion) and social in luences (no ma i e and in o ma ional suscep ibili y, and collec i ism) o assess
hei in luence on coun e ei luxu y consump ion. 312 esponden s comple ed he ques ionnai e, and he da a we e
analysed using Sma PLS. The indings showed ha mos social and pe sonali y ac o s did no ha e a signi ican
in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y pu chases. Howe e , collec i ism, pe sonal g a i ica ion, and b and
consciousness in luenced a i udes nega i ely. This sugges s ha consume s who alue hei social g oup’s opinions,
alue a sense o sa is ac ion, and a e conscious o he b ands hey pu chase, o m nega i e a i udes owa ds coun e ei
luxu y goods. Wi hin he heo y o planned beha iou amewo k, a i ude eme ged as he sole signi ican p edic o o
pu chase in en ion, he eby con i ming i s pi o al media ing ole in consume decision-making p ocesses. These indings
con adic es ablished heo e ical assump ions ega ding he in luence o pee p essu e and s a us conside a ions in
coun e ei consump ion beha iou . The esul s unde sco e he mul i ace ed na u e o consume e hics and iden i y
o ma ion wi hin eme ging ma ke con ex s, e ealing complexi ies ha wa an u he heo e ical e inemen and
empi ical in es iga ion.
Keywo ds: coun e ei luxu y goods, consume a i udes, social ac o s, pe sonali y ac o s, pu chase in en ion
35 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
1. INTRODUCTION
Globally, he sales o coun e ei luxu y goods a e inc easing, which p esen s economic and e hical challenges o
au hen ic luxu y b ands (Cesa eo, Pas o e & Williams 2017). While i is challenging o pinpoin he exac alue o he
coun e ei ma ke , i is es ima ed ha he global ma ke is wo h o e US$1.7 illion (Fe e e 2025). The coun e ei
ma ke expands ac oss all indus ies, hough he mos coun e ei ed b ands a e conside ed o be luxu y b ands (Rich e
2019). This is p ima ily d i en by consume s’ s ong desi e o pu chase luxu y goods o he p es ige, wi hou paying
he high p ice (Liu, Wakeman & No on 2024). Coun e ei luxu y goods a e ypically de ined as illegally p oduced
eplicas o au hen ic b anded p oduc s, usually o in e io quali y, passed o as au hen ic (B andão & Gadeka 2019).
Eme ging ma ke s in egions like A ica, he Middle Eas , No h A ica, and Sou h Asia ha e wi nessed pa icula ly high
demand o coun e ei luxu ies, d i en by consume s wi h aspi a ional consump ion pa e ns and some imes limi ed
access o a o dable genuine luxu y goods (Kasbe , El-Bassiouny & Hamed 2023; Nde eyimana e al. 2022).
Al hough he g ow h o coun e ei luxu y goods is inc easing, he e is a limi ed unde s anding o he way in which
social and pe sonali y ac o s in luence a i udes owa ds in ending o pu chase coun e ei luxu y goods. Exis ing
esea ch has ocused on social mo i a ions (Wilcox, Kim & Sen 2009), egali a ian alue (Liu e al. 2024), demand and
pu chase beha iou (Can , Wiid & Manley 2014), mo al easoning (Chen, Teng & Liao 2018), and pu chase in en ion
(Koay 2018). An o e a ching inding ac oss a ious s udies ela es o he ole ha social and pe sonali y ac o s play
in in luencing consume a i udes (Budiman, 2021; Khan, Fazili & Bashi , 2021), o e ing a comp ehensi e
unde s anding o how a i udes a e o med (Nde eyimana e al., 2022).
The heo y o planned beha iou (TPB) o e s a comp ehensi e app oach o unde s anding consume beha iou
(Ajzen, 1991). The TPB has been used in se e al consume beha iou con ex s as well as coun e ei ing, con i ming
i s applicabili y wi hin his con ex (Kasbe e al., 2023; Quoquab e al., 2017). Acco ding o he TPB, a a ou able
a i ude owa d enhances beha iou al in en ions and ul ima ely beha iou , and nega i e a i udes dec ease he
likelihood o engaging in pa icula beha iou . The s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e by es ing how social and
pe sonali y ac o s in luence a i ude, ex ending he unde s anding o he a i ude o pu chase in en ion ela ionship. In
addi ion, he s udy cen es on Sou h A ica as an eme ging ma ke whe e signi ican demand o coun e ei luxu y
goods has been obse ed (I win 2024). I also o e s insigh s o luxu y b and manage s and policymake s on how o
cu b he demand o coun e ei s by a ge ing he iden i ied d i e s wi h he aim o ensu ing ha social and pe sonali y
ac o s a e nega i ely shaped o o m nega i e a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods and dec ease he pu chase
in en ion. The nex sec ion o he pape ocuses on he li e a u e e iew, which suppo s he pu pose o he s udy. This
is ollowed by he hypo heses de eloped o he s udy, and an explana ion o he esea ch app oach. The ea e , he
esul s and ecommenda ions a e p esen ed, including sugges ions o u u e esea ch.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 ATTITUDES TOWARDS COUNTERFEIT LUXURY GOODS
A i ude, concep ualised as a lea n p edisposi ion o espond a ou ably o un a ou ably owa ds a gi en objec ,
emains a cen al cons uc in unde s anding consume beha iou (Ajzen 1991). I se es as a c i ical de e minan o
beha iou al in en ion and, ul ima ely, pu chase decision-making. As such, comp ehending consume s’ e alua i e
o ien a ion owa ds a p oduc (i.e., hei a i ude) is essen ial in p edic ing he likelihood o pu chase (Babami i e al.
2020). This is pa icula ly impo an because a i ude ac s as a cogni i e-a ec i e il e h ough which consume s
Examining pu chase in en ion owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods: The ole o social and pe sonali y ac o s 36
assess he desi abili y and accep abili y o engaging in a speci ic consump ion beha iou (De Houwe , Gaw onski &
Ba nes-Holmes 2013). When consume s ha e a ou able o posi i e a i udes owa ds a p oduc , i inc eases he
likelihood o making he pu chase, which in u n makes unde s anding a i udes impo an o ma ke e s (Babami i e
al. 2020). Gi en ha coun e ei luxu y goods a e illegal o pu chase, he a i ude becomes mo e complica ed. Fac o s
like a o dabili y (Rahiminia & A ian, 2021) and social accep ance may enhance he posi i e a i udes owa ds
coun e ei s – hese could be conside ed social in luences (Khan, Fazili & Bashi 2022). Howe e , he illegal na u e
in oduces mo al and legal conside a ions ha may se e as nega i e in luences owa ds a i udes and ac as de e en s
which could be conside ed as pe sonali y-d i en ac o s (Eisend, Ha mann & Apaolaza 2017).
2.2 SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER ATTITUDES
Acco ding o Phau and Teah (2009), social ac o s e e o he in luence exe ed by o he s on an indi idual’s
beha iou and decision-making p ocesses. These ac o s play an impo an ole in in luencing consume s’ a i udes as
consume s ypically ely on hei social g oup’s no ms as a benchma k o guide hei beha iou (Haslam e al. 2018).
When pu chasing luxu y goods, consume s o en seek alida ion om hei social g oups, and p oduc s ha a e s a us-
o ien ed a e used o signal weal h (Khan e al. 2022; Ting, Goh & Isa 2016). This is e iden wi hin collec i is ic cul u es
whe e social expec a ions o en d i e beha iou (Kasbe e al. 2023).
Social no ms ha e been p e iously iden i ied as an an eceden owa ds a i udes wi hin he coun e ei consump ion
con ex (Ang e al. 2001; Nde eyimana e al. 2022). A consume ’s social g oup d i es beha iou as consume s seek
accep ance and app o al and wi hin a coun e ei luxu y goods con ex , i he social g oup is posi i e owa ds coun e ei
goods, consume s may be mo e willing o pu chase hem. Fo ins ance, in a s udy conduc ed by Nde eyimana e al.
(2022) in Rwanda, consume s pe cei ed coun e ei goods as socially accep able and we e mo e likely o o m
a ou able a i udes and in en ions owa ds coun e ei s. Simila ly, in hei Egyp ian s udy, Kasbe e al. (2023) ound
ha social no ms we e he s onges p edic o s o coun e ei pu chase in en ion. As bo h s udies we e conduc ed in
an eme ging ma ke con ex , hey show he impo ance o he social g oup’s conside a ions. This s udy ocuses on
h ee aspec s ha make up social ac o s: no ma i e suscep ibili y, in o ma ional suscep ibili y, and collec i ism. These
a e discussed in he subsec ions ha ollow.
2.2.1 No ma i e Suscep ibili y
When consume s a e in luenced by hei social g oup’s expec a ions, hey will o en ac in ways ha main ain he
social g oup’s app o al o a oid disapp o al, which ela es o no ma i e suscep ibili y (Kasuma e al. 2020). Some
consume s a e in luenced signi ican ly enough ha hey choose o pu chase coun e ei s in o de o mee he social
g oup’s expec a ions in an e o o enhance hei s a us (Kim & Ka po a, 2010).
Typically, consume s who a e conside ed suscep ible o hei social g oup’s no ms mi o hei beha iou in
pu chasing p oduc s ha a e conside ed accep ed by hei social g oup (Adip ima, Ind aswa i & Kas i 2020). Wi hin a
coun e ei luxu y con ex , Ang e al. (2001) added ha consume s who seek social accep ance pu chase coun e ei
luxu y o a ain he accep ance hey desi e. This is con i med in Nde eyimana e al.’s (2022) s udy, whe e he posi i e
a i ude owa ds coun e ei luxu y was d i en by he need o social app o al. Kasbe e al. (2023) added ha his was
ega dless o e hical conside a ions, whe e consume s simply desi e o a ain social accep ance ega dless o he
e hical cos s.
37 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
2.2.2 In o ma ional Suscep ibili y
When a consume elies on iends, amily, o aspi a ional igu es as a sou ce o in o ma ion, hey a e conside ed
suscep ible o ha in o ma ion and ecommenda ions (Hidaya & Diwasas i, 2013; Phau & Teah, 2009). I consume s
a e no amilia wi h he p oduc ca ego y, his eliance inc eases, and he in o ma ion ob ained becomes a guiding
sou ce in assis ing wi h making he p oduc decision (Ting e al. 2016). Wi hin he coun e ei luxu y con ex , he
in o ma ion ecei ed can shape he consume ’s pe cep ion o isk and opinion o which coun e ei luxu y goods a e
ecommended based on o he s’ expe iences (Moon e al. 2018). Wo d o mou h sha ed educes unce ain y, dec eases
he pe cep ion o isk, and assis s in o ming posi i e a i udes owa ds coun e ei goods (Kasuma e al. 2020).
Acco ding o Kim e al. (2024), wo d o mou h sha ed by pee s inc eased consume s’ willingness o pu chase
coun e ei s in China. Mo eo e , hey no ed ha e en ace-conscious consume s (i.e., hose wo ied abou epu a ional
damage) became mo e open o coun e ei pu chases when us ed pee s endo sed such beha iou . In his sense,
in o ma ional suscep ibili y ac s no jus as a passi e in luence, bu can also ac i ely educe social and unc ional isks.
2.2.3 Collec i ism
Collec i ism is a cul u al o ien a ion in which indi iduals p io i ise hei social g oup’s needs and alues o e
pe sonal au onomy o sel -di e en ia ion (Tang, Tian & Zaichkowsky 2014; T iandis 1995). In collec i is socie ies,
p e alen ac oss A ica, Asia, and he Middle Eas , consume s o en assess consump ion decisions h ough he lens
o g oup ha mony and accep ance (Ma inez & Jaege 2016). Wi hin hese con ex s, consump ion becomes a collec i e
p ac ice: wha one pu chases is o en in luenced by wha is socially endo sed o expec ed. Kim and Yoon (2021)
obse ed ha in collec i is cul u es, aligning wi h g oup consump ion no ms os e s social inclusion, while de ia ion
may isk exclusion. Fo inancially cons ained consume s who aspi e o luxu y bu canno a o d genuine goods,
coun e ei p oduc s a e a socially legi ima e means o s a us signalling. The e o e, he deg ee o collec i ism can play
a signi ican ole in he consume ’s a i ude owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
2.3 PERSONALITY FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER ATTITUDES
Pe sonali y ela es o he psychological ai s ha in luence how a consume pe cei es he wo ld and in e ac s wi h
he wo ld (Kasuma e al. 2020; La sen & Buss 2005). A consume ’s pe sonali y is impo an as i can shape hei
p e e ences, mo i a ions, and e hical pe cep ions, especially in decisions ha a e e hically ambiguous o in ol e illegal
p oduc s like coun e ei luxu y goods. As luxu y p oduc s ep esen he consume ’s social s anding, indi idual-le el
pe sonali y ac o s, such as b and consciousness, s a us consump ion, alue consciousness, in eg i y, and pe sonal
g a i ica ion, shape consume a i udes and beha iou s owa ds coun e ei consump ion (Khan e al. 2022; Phau &
Teah 2009; Ting e al. 2016). These a e discussed nex .
2.3.1 B and Consciousness
B and consciousness ocuses on he consume s’ d i e o alue b and names as symbols o quali y, as e, and social
s anding (De Sil a e al. 2020). The consume ’s le el o b and consciousness is signi ican wi hin he luxu y con ex as
i se es as a isual cue o a luence and s a us. Howe e , he ole o b and consciousness in coun e ei consump ion
is con ex dependen . Some s udies ha e shown ha consume s who a e mo e b and-conscious a e mo e likely o
ejec coun e ei luxu y due o conce ns abou au hen ici y and po en ial dilu ion o p es ige (Bian & Velou sou, 2007;
Tunçel, 2022). Howe e , o he esea ch has ound ha when consume s a e unde inancial p essu e, hey emb ace
coun e ei s as a o dable s a us symbols, especially when he coun e ei s closely esemble he o iginals in
appea ance and b anding (Bian & Mou inho, 2011; Wang e al., 2017). Al-Balushi, Alam, and Fadlalla (2024) ound
Examining pu chase in en ion owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods: The ole o social and pe sonali y ac o s 38
ha b and consciousness in luenced a ou able a i udes owa ds coun e ei goods in o de o mee social
expec a ions and signal b and a ilia ion.
2.3.2 S a us Consump ion
O en, consume s use p oduc s o communica e hei social s anding, which is e e ed o as s a us consump ion
(Pino e al. 2019). Wi hin a luxu y con ex , consume s o en pu chase luxu y goods so ha hey can be displayed
conspicuously and a ain social ecogni ion. This is p ominen in eme ging ma ke s whe e consume s a e s a us-
conscious and use luxu y as a s a us symbol. Howe e , al hough luxu y o e s a s a us symbol, mos consume s canno
a o d he au hen ic e sion, which, acco ding o Shahid and Paul (2021), p omp s hem o pu chase coun e ei s o
main ain social accep ance. This is con i med by Moon e al.’s (2018) s udy, whe e consume s who we e s a us-
conscious o med a ou able a i udes owa ds coun e ei s and used he coun e ei goods o enhance hei s a us.
2.3.3 Value Consciousness
Value-conscious consume s seek o maximise he bene i s hey ecei e compa ed o he cos hey ha e had o pay
o he p oduc . O en, o maximise he pe cei ed bene i s, consume s a e willing o ade o he p oduc ’s quali y o
lowe p ices (Ting e al. 2016). Coun e ei luxu y p oduc s a e o en appealing due o hei pe cei ed alue in being
mo e economically a o dable, especially when he coun e ei is like he au hen ic p oduc . In a s udy conduc ed by
Ang e al. (2001) i was ound ha when consume s seek alue, hey a e mo e likely o pu chase coun e ei goods.
Likewise, Nde eyimana e al. (2022) ound ha in Rwanda, alue consciousness posi i ely in luenced pu chase
in en ion o coun e ei s and media ed he e ec o a i ude on in en ion. Thus, consume s conside coun e ei luxu y
goods as alue-d i en pu chases, and hei e hical esis ance seems o dec ease wi hin his con ex (Quoquab e al.,
2017).
2.3.4 In eg i y
In eg i y e e s o consume s’ commi men o mo al s anda ds, legali y, and pe sonal e hical p inciples. I plays a
c i ical ole in de e ing pa icipa ion in e hically dubious beha iou , including he consump ion o coun e ei goods
(Samadda , Mondal & Gandhi 2024). Consume s wi h high in eg i y a e mo e likely o in e nalise coun e ei ing as
dishones , illegal, o socially ha m ul. Resea ch by Jiang e al. (2019) and Teah, Phau and Huang (2015) con i ms a
nega i e associa ion be ween in eg i y and a ou able a i udes owa ds coun e ei ing. Simila ly, Quoquab e al. (2017)
showed ha e hical o ien a ion (including eligiosi y and legal conce n) signi ican ly educes coun e ei pu chase
in en ions. In an Islamic ma ke con ex , Kasbe e al. (2023) ound ha eligiosi y and mo al awa eness had a s ong
de e en e ec on coun e ei accep ance. Con e sely, H. Kim and Ka po a (2010) and Ting e al. (2016) epo ed
inconsis en o weak e ec s, sugges ing ha consume s jus i y coun e ei consump ion (e.g., ‘no one ge s hu ’, ‘b ands
a e o e p iced’). Tunçel (2022) added cul u al nuance, inding ha idealism (mo al p inciple-based decision-making)
signi ican ly dec eases coun e ei pu chase in en ions ac oss Tu kish and Slo enian consume s.
2.3.5 Pe sonal G a i ica ion
Pe sonal g a i ica ion in ol es he pu sui o inne ul ilmen , social ecogni ion, o sel -es eem h ough consump ion
(Ken 2018). Luxu y p oduc s o en symbolise success and achie emen , making hem a ac i e o consume s d i en
by his need. Howe e , he ela ionship be ween g a i ica ion and coun e ei consump ion is complex. Phau and Teah
(2009) a gued ha consume s who seek in e nal sa is ac ion om owne ship (i.e., who de i e sel -wo h om genuine
accomplishmen s) a e less likely o pu chase coun e ei s, as doing so would unde mine hei sense o au hen ici y.
39 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
Sco o, McDonald and Weiss (2021) echoed his, sugges ing ha consume s who iew luxu y owne ship as a sou ce
o au hen ic pe sonal success end o ejec coun e ei s. Howe e , Basu, Basu and Lee (2015) indica ed ha when
g a i ica ion is mo e ex e nally d i en (cen ed on ecogni ion by o he s), coun e ei s may s ill se e consume s’ goals,
especially i he coun e ei is indis inguishable o he social g oup.
3. PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESES
The o e a ching pu pose o his esea ch is o de e mine he ole ha social and pe sonali y ac o s play in
consume s’ a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods and examine how hose a i udes in luence hei in en ion o
pu chase coun e ei luxu y goods. The e o e, he s udy’s objec i es a e:
• To de e mine he ole ha social ac o s (no ma i e and in o ma i e suscep ibili y, and collec i ism) ha e in
o ming a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods;
• To de e mine he ole ha pe sonali y ac o s (s a us consump ion, b and consciousness, alue
consciousness, in eg i y, and pe sonal g a i ica ion) ha e in o ming a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y
goods; and
• To examine he in luence o a i ude owa ds he in en ion o pu chase coun e ei luxu y goods.
Based on he li e a u e p esen ed abo e and he esea ch objec i es, he ollowing hypo heses a e p oposed:
H1: No ma i e suscep ibili y has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H2: In o ma i e suscep ibili y has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y
goods.
H3: Collec i ism has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H4: S a us consump ion has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H5: B and consciousness has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H6: Value consciousness has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H7: In eg i y has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H8: Pe sonal g a i ica ion has a signi ican in luence on a i udes owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods.
H9: A i ude has a signi ican in luence on he in en ion o pu chase coun e ei luxu y goods.
4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The s udy ollowed a quan i a i e, su ey-based esea ch design. An online sel -adminis e ed ques ionnai e was
used o collec da a om Sou h A ican consume s aged 18–65 who had pu chased o had he in en ion o pu chase
coun e ei luxu y goods in he pas six mon hs. A non-p obabili y con enience sampling app oach was used o in i e
esponden s o pa icipa e in he s udy. The link o he sel -adminis e ed ques ionnai e was sha ed ia social media
Examining pu chase in en ion owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods: The ole o social and pe sonali y ac o s 40
pla o ms (Facebook and Ins ag am) and esponden s we e in i ed o comple e he ques ionnai e. Wi hin he
ques ionnai e, esponden s we e in oduced o he s udy, whe e i s pu pose was explained and he esponden s’ igh s
we e clea ly ou lined. To comple e he ques ionnai e, he esponden s had o p o ide consen o pa icipa e, as equi ed
by he e hics commi ee, which app o ed he da a collec ion (e hical clea ance numbe : 2020SCiiS013)
The ques ionnai e consis ed o wo sec ions. The i s sec ion ga he ed esponden s’ demog aphic in o ma ion (i.e.,
age, gende , highes le el o educa ion, and employmen s a us), while he second sec ion collec ed esponses ela ing
o he cons uc s included in he s udy. This sec ion was designed using a i e-poin Like - ype scale, whe e 1 indica ed
‘s ongly disag ee’ and 5 indica ed ‘s ongly ag ee’. All cons uc i ems we e adap ed om p e ious s udies o ensu e
alidi y: no ma i e and in o ma i e suscep ibili y we e adap ed om Bea den, Ne emeye and Teel (1989); collec i ism
om Faqih and Ja ada (2014); s a us consump ion om Eas man, Goldsmi h and Flynn (1999); b and consciousness
om Sp o les and Kendall (1986); alue consciousness om Lich ens ein, Ne emeye and Bu on (1990); in eg i y om
Vi ell and Muncy (1992); and pe sonal g a i ica ion, a i udes, and pu chase in en ions om Teah e al. (2015). A o al
o 312 esponses we e ecei ed.
The da a we e analysed using pa ial leas squa es s uc u al equa ion modelling (PLS-SEM) ia Sma PLS 4. PLS-
SEM was app op ia e gi en he s udy’s ocus on p edic ing he pu chase in en ion. Fu he mo e, PLS-SEM allowed o
he simul aneous es ima ion o he measu emen and s uc u al models and p o ided a comp ehensi e assessmen o
he model and i s hypo heses.
Acco ding o Hai e al. (2017), he measu emen model allows o he assessmen o in e nal eliabili y, con e gen
alidi y and disc iminan alidi y. Mo e speci ically, C onbach’s alpha (α) and composi e eliabili y (CR) we e used o
assess in e nal eliabili y whe e he accep able h esholds we e 0.70 o g ea e (Hai e al., 2019; Nunnally & Be ns ein,
1994). Con e gen alidi y was e alua ed h ough he a e age a iance ex ac ed (AVE), wi h alues exceeding he
minimum ecommended h eshold o 0.50 indica ing ha cons uc s explain a leas 50% o he a iance in hei
indica o s (Fo nell & La cke 1981). The Fo nell-La cke c i e ion was used o examine disc iminan alidi y, which
equi es ha a cons uc ’s AVE squa e oo be g ea e han i s highes co ela ion wi h any o he cons uc (Fo nell &
La cke , 1981). In addi ion, he he e o ai -mono ai (HTMT) a io o co ela ions was used as a mo e igo ous
assessmen , wi h alues below 0.85 deemed accep able (Hensele , Ringle & Sa s ed 2015). Las ly, he ac o loadings
we e examined wi h alues o 0.70 o highe conside ed as ideal, wi h lowe ac o loadings being deemed app op ia e
i he cons uc ’s AVE and CR we e adequa e (Hai e al. 2019). As he measu es we e wi hin he pa ame e s, he
measu emen model was deemed app op ia e and he s uc u al model was analysed o assess he hypo heses.
5. RESULTS
Table 1 p esen s he eliabili y and alidi y esul s. As men ioned, in e nal consis ency was assessed using
C onbach’s alpha (α) and CR. All cons uc s exceeded he ecommended h eshold o 0.70 (Hai e al. 2017), indica ing
eliabili y ac oss all cons uc s. Con e gen alidi y, assessed h ough AVE alues, was abo e 0.50, con i ming ha
he cons uc s we e alid (Fo nell & La cke , 1981). All ac o loadings we e g ea e han 0.70, wi h a ew accep able
alues in he 0.60 – 0.70 ange (Hai e al. 2019), suppo ing indica o eliabili y. To ensu e disc iminan alidi y, wo
me hods we e used. Fi s , he Fo nell-La cke c i e ion showed ha o each cons uc , he squa e oo o he AVE was
g ea e han i s highes co ela ion wi h any o he cons uc , indica ing adequa e sepa a ion. Second, he HTMT a io
was assessed, wi h all HTMT alues alling below he conse a i e cu -o o 0.85 (Hensele e al. 2015), p o iding
addi ional e idence o disc iminan alidi y, as shown in Table 2.
41 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
TABLE 1: RELIABILITY (CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND CR) AND CONVERGENT VALIDITY (AVE) OF EACH
CONSTRUCT AND ITS CORRESPONDING ITEMS
Cons uc and i ems
Fac o
loadings
α
CR
AVE
No ma i e suscep ibili y
I is impo an ha o he s like he p oduc s and b ands I buy.
0.796
0.916
0.925
0.655
When buying p oduc s, I gene ally pu chase hose b ands ha I hink o he s will app o e o .
0.893
I o he people can see me using a p oduc , I o en pu chase he b and hey expec me o buy.
0.893
I like o know wha b ands and p oduc s make good imp essions on o he s.
0.854
I achie e a sense o belonging by pu chasing he same p oduc s and b ands ha o he s pu chase.
0.910
I o en iden i y wi h o he people by pu chasing he same p oduc s and b ands hey pu chase.
0.851
In o ma i e suscep ibili y
To make su e I buy he igh p oduc o b and, I o en obse e wha o he s a e buying and using.
0.947
0.756
0.819
0.608
I o en consul o he people o help choose he bes al e na i e a ailable om a p oduc class.
0.711
I equen ly ga he in o ma ion om iends o amily abou a p oduc be o e I buy.
0.650
Collec i ism
Indi idual ewa ds a e no as impo an as o e all g oup wel a e.
0.819
0.839
0.854
0.555
G oup success is mo e impo an han indi idual success.
0.903
Being accep ed as a membe o a g oup is mo e impo an o me han being au onomous and
independen om o he s.
0.760
Being loyal o a g oup is mo e impo an han indi idual gain.
0.768
Value consciousness
I am conce ned abou p ice and p oduc quali y.
0.637
0.793
0.853
0.595
I compa e p ices o he bes alue o money.
0.791
I like o be su e ha I ge my money’s wo h.
0.784
I y o maximise he quali y o he money spen .
0.857
In eg i y
I alue hones y.
0.746
0.816
0.879
0.645
I alue poli eness.
0.877
I alue esponsibili y.
0.793
I alue sel -con ol.
0.792
Pe sonal g a i ica ion
An exci ing li e is impo an o me.
0.760
0.708
0.810
0.526
I alue pleasu e.
0.844
I alue social ecogni ion
0.771
S a us consump ion
I would buy a p oduc jus because i has s a us.
0.748
0.879
0.885
0.662
I am in e es ed in new p oduc s wi h s a us.
0.929
I would pay mo e o a p oduc i i had s a us.
0.633
A p oduc is mo e aluable o me i i has some snob appeal.
0.909
B and consciousness
B and names ell me some hing abou he quali y o he coun e ei luxu y i ems.
0.893
0.834
0.887
0.667
B and names ell me some hing abou how ‘cool’ coun e ei luxu y i em is.
0.863
Some imes I am willing o pay mo e money o he coun e ei luxu y i ems because o i s b and
name.
0.842
B and name coun e ei luxu y i ems ha cos a lo o money a e o good quali y.
0.644
A i ude
Buying coun e ei s o luxu y b ands in inges in ellec ual p ope y.
0.874
0.871
0.921
0.795
Buying coun e ei s o luxu y b ands damages in e es s and igh s o legi ima e/o iginal
manu ac u e s.
0.924
Buying coun e ei s o luxu y b ands will hu he luxu y goods indus y.
0.877
Pu chase in en ion
I knowingly look o coun e ei s o luxu y b ands.
0.873
0.774
0.869
0.692
I always buy coun e ei s o luxu y b ands.
0.925
On eques , I will conside pu chasing coun e ei s o luxu y b ands o a iend.
0.925
I will buy coun e ei s o luxu y b ands.
0.678
Examining pu chase in en ion owa ds coun e ei luxu y goods: The ole o social and pe sonali y ac o s 42
TABLE 2: DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY USING THE HTMT METHOD
ATT
BC
COLL
INS
I
NOS
PEG
PI
SC
VCO
ATT
BC
0.410
COLL
0.278
0.378
INS
0.218
0.669
0.236
I
0.160
0.121
0.131
0.188
NOS
0.361
0.739
0.212
0.725
0.089
PEG
0.437
0.655
0.339
0.588
0.328
0.726
PI
0.268
0.497
0.194
0.387
0.101
0.382
0.291
SC
0.219
0.691
0.302
0.577
0.092
0.729
0.537
0.475
VCO
0.168
0.267
0.094
0.320
0.619
0.216
0.325
0.178
0.116
No es: ATT = a i ude; BC = b and consciousness; COLL = collec i ism; INS = in o ma i e suscep ibili y; I = in eg i y; NOS = no ma i e suscep ibili y;
PEG = pe sonal g a i ica ion; PI = pu chase in en ion; SC = s a us consump ion; VCO = alue consciousness
The s uc u al model was assessed o es he hypo hesised ela ionships as p esen ed in sec ion 3. As shown in
Table 3, while he co e TPB ela ionship (H9) was con i med, showing ha a a ou able a i ude signi ican ly inc eased
he in en ion o pu chase coun e ei luxu y goods (β = 0.224, = 3.890, p < 0.001), many o he an eceden s o a i ude
did no p oduce he expec ed e ec s. Bo h no ma i e suscep ibili y (H1) and in o ma ional suscep ibili y (H2) had
s a is ically insigni ican e ec s on a i udes owa ds coun e ei consump ion, wi h β = -0.155 (p = 0.118) and β = 0.106
(p = 0.132) espec i ely. Collec i ism (H3) had a signi ican impac , bu in he opposi e di ec ion o he hypo hesis – i
nega i ely in luenced a i udes (β = -0.173, p = 0.001), indica ing ha s onge collec i is endencies may discou age
coun e ei accep ance in his con ex . Simila ly, s a us consump ion (H4) did no signi ican ly shape a i udes
(β = 0.032, p = 0.700). In e es ingly, b and consciousness (H5) was signi ican ly and nega i ely ela ed o a i ude (β = -
0.216, p = 0.006), sugges ing ha b and-o ien a ed consume s end o ejec coun e ei goods, likely due o hei
emphasis on au hen ici y. Value consciousness (H6) also ailed o show a signi ican ela ionship wi h a i ude (β = -
0.019, p = 0.754). In eg i y (H7) exhibi ed an insigni ican e ec on a i ude (β = 0.096, p = 0.068), while pe sonal
g a i ica ion (H8) signi ican ly and nega i ely a ec ed a i ude (β = -0.163, p = 0.019), indica ing ha consume s who
alue pe sonal achie emen may pe cei e coun e ei pu chases as inconsis en wi h hei sel -image.
TABLE 3: RESULTS OF THE HYPOTHESES TESTING
Pa h
β
- alue
p- alue
Decision
H1: No ma i e suscep ibili y → a i ude
-0.155
1.564
0.118
Rejec ed
H2: In o ma i e suscep ibili y → a i ude
0.106
1.505
0.132
Rejec ed
H3: Collec i ism → a i ude
-0.173
3.426
0.001
Suppo ed
H4: S a us consump ion → a i ude
0.032
0.386
0.700
Rejec ed
H5: B and consciousness → a i ude
-0.216
2.748
0.006
Suppo ed
H6: Value consciousness → a i ude
-0.019
0.313
0.754
Rejec ed
H7: In eg i y → a i ude
0.096
1.827
0.068
Rejec ed
H8: Pe sonal g a i ica ion → a i ude
-0.163
2.349
0.019
Suppo ed
H9: A i ude → pu chase in en ion
0.224
3.890
0.000
Suppo ed
49 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
Shahid, S. & Paul, J., 2021, ‘In insic mo i a ion o luxu y consume s in an eme ging ma ke ’, Jou nal o Re ailing and
Consume Se ices 61, 102531, h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.j e conse .2021.102531
Sp o les, G.B. & Kendall, E.L., 1986, ‘A me hodology o p o iling consume s’ decision‐making s yles’, Jou nal o
Consume A ai s 20(2), 267–279. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/j.1745-6606.1986. b00382.x
Tang, F., Tian, V.-I. & Zaichkowsky, J., 2014, ‘Unde s anding coun e ei consump ion’, Asia Paci ic Jou nal o
Ma ke ing and Logis ics 26(1), 4–20. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/APJML-11-2012-0121
Teah, M., Phau, I. & Huang, Y.-A., 2015, ‘De il con inues o wea “coun e ei ” P ada: A ale o wo ci ies’, Jou nal o
Consume Ma ke ing 32(3), 176–189. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/JCM-03-2014-0908
Ting, M.-S., Goh, Y.-N. & Isa, S.M., 2016, ‘De e mining consume pu chase in en ions owa d coun e ei luxu y
goods in Malaysia’, Asia Paci ic Managemen Re iew 21(4), 219–230.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.apm .2016.07.003
T iandis, H.C., 1995, Indi idualism and collec i ism, Wes iew P ess, Boulde , CO.
Tunçel, N., 2022, ‘Willingness o pu chase coun e ei luxu y b ands: A c oss-cul u al compa ison’, In e na ional
Jou nal o Consume S udies 46(2), 494–514. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/ijcs.12696
Vi ell, S.J. & Muncy, J., 1992, ‘Consume e hics: An empi ical in es iga ion o ac o s in luencing e hical judgmen s o
he inal consume ’, Jou nal o Business E hics 11, 585–597. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/BF00872270
Wang, L., Wang, Q., Kelle , L.R. & Chan, E., 2017, ‘Coun e ei s can bene i o iginal b ands when people a e caugh
using coun e ei s: The ole o ace es o a ion’, in A. Gneezy, V. G iske icius & P. Williams (eds.), Ad ances in
consume esea ch, ol. 45, pp. 948–950), Associa ion o Consume Resea ch, Dulu h, MN.
Wilcox, K., Kim, H.M. & Sen, S., 2009, ‘Why do consume s buy coun e ei luxu y b ands?’, Jou nal o Ma ke ing
Resea ch 46(2), 247–259. h ps://doi.o g/10.1509/jmk .46.2.247
