Assessing the Attitude towards Buying Counterfeit Goods and the Desire to Buy from Gray Market

Abstract

This study analyzes the effective factors on consumers' tendency to buy smart phones from gray markets. The research is a descriptive survey and correlation type. The statistical population included all consumers of cellphones in Tehran mobile market. Based on that, a sample of 390 people was selected through Coachran's formula using available sampling method. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through using construct validity and its reliability was estimated using Cronbach's Alpha and also combined reliability methods. Studying research literature, the model was designed and it includes factors of novelty seeking, consumption condition, integrity and perceived risk of attitude towards purchase and intention of buying smuggled smartphones. In this research, consumer's attitude towards counterfeit goods was considered as a mediator variable. In order to study the hypotheses Structural equation modeling was used. According to the results, novelty seeking has a positive effect on attitudes towards buying smuggled smartphones. The effect of consumption condition and integrity on attitudes towards buying smuggled smartphones was negative. The attitudes of consumers towards counterfeit goods have a positive effect on the willingness of consumers to buy gray market smartphones. The role of mediator variable between the relationships of variables was confirmed. In addition, the perceived risk has negative impact on willingness to buy smuggled smartphones and this variable is a restrainer factor of buying smartphones from gray market.

Keywords

• gray market phones
• attitudes toward counterfeit products
• perceived risk