Consumer Complicity Across Emerging Markets

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the explanatory powers of a consumer complicity framework that uses counterfeit products and five emerging country markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). A web survey was administered to 1,600 consumers in Brazil, Russia, India, and China to test whether demographics, national origin, perceived quality, price, and a hedonic shopping environment predicted consumers' complicity in these emerging markets. Overall, the results found little support for either demographics or national origin to predict this type of illicit consumption. The best predictive variables were perceived quality, price, and hedonic shopping experience. The study concludes with a model that incorporates these results and suggests that future research employ demarketing tactics using both cognitive dissonance and expected utility theories to obtain a more holistic view for curbing complicity that goes beyond product attributes and the shopping environment.