Effects of Social Influences on Consumer’s Attitude toward Acquisition of Counterfeit Goods

Abstract

Consumption of Counterfeit goods is a major issue locally and across the world. There is counterfeiting of products and services across sectors. Major cities and towns in Kenya. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of social influences on consumers’ attitude towards the acquisition of counterfeit goods. The study is anchored on the theory of planned behavior which posits that behaviors are determined exclusively on behavioral intentions. The theory enables marketers to understand the customers’ behavior and therefore predict their consumption behavior. The research employed a descriptive research design where the unit of analysis was 300 MBA students at Africa Nazarene University, Nairobi campus with a sample size of 50 students. The researcher developed a self-administered questionnaire using established scales administered through “drop and pick up later” method. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The raw data was processed, analyzed, and presented using graphs and tables. Among the key findings of the study is that Social influences (Reference group influence, Family influence, Peer pressure influence) strongly affect the consumer attitude toward acquisition of counterfeit product. The findings indicated that consumers are most likely to consider other people’s opinions, thoughts and affirmation when purchasing a particular product. These research findings can be useful in the formulation of strategies to check counterfeiting.