Abstract

Understanding the motivations underlying the consumption of counterfeit products is crucial to contrast this illicit market and to develop a culture of anti-counterfeiting. However, there is a gap in the literature on the topic, in particular from a psychological perspective. We therefore propose an exploratory research, focused on the market of perfumes, made up of two studies: a motivational analysis on consumption of counterfeit perfume and a netnographyc analysis of spontaneous conversations emerged in dedicated forums. The results provide a preliminary map of the motivations and resistances underlying the consumption of counterfeit perfume, furthermore identifying 3 different consumer profiles. The research aims to start a psychological research field on counterfeiting.