Empirical Study of Investigating Factors Affecting Deceptive Consumer towards Counterfeit Cosmetics - Case study: Khan al Saboun-Bader Hassoun and Sons Lebanon

Abstract

Counterfeit products are a dangerous threat that impacts businesses and consumers. In many sectors counterfeit products are very harmful to human health and sometimes lead to death. We have two categories of consumers who purchase counterfeited products, non-deceptive consumers and deceptive consumers. Non-deceptive consumers previously knew that the products they would buy were counterfeited products. Another kind is deceptive consumers those consumers who cheated by counterfeiters, they bought the products and thought that it is authentic products, in fact it is counterfeited. Deceptive consumers are very harmful cases in purchasing counterfeited products. Especially, in the sectors of drugs, food supplements, and cosmetics.

This study focuses on analyzing the factors that impact on deceptive consumers. The factors that make them prone to be cheated from counterfeited products, of a well-known, luxury brand, Khan al Saboun- Bader Hassoun and Sons- cosmetics products in Lebanon.

In this study, the qualitative approach was utilized by following the phenomenological method and consisted of a focus group with deceptive consumers. In order to have a deeper understanding of the factors that lead them to be deceptive consumers of counterfeited products. Then we used the content analysis method to analyze the data collected from the focus group.

As a result, we concluded the factors that impact the deceptive consumers and make them prone to purchase counterfeited products of luxury cosmetics brand in Lebanon.  These factors are: Consumer's past purchase experience, Word of mouth and Market influence, and Consumer awareness. However, Demographic and psychographic characteristics, Product attributes, Price of the products, Social benefits, Perceived risk and ethics are factors that do not impact deceptive consumers during their purchasing.

Key words: Counterfeit products; Deceptive consumers; Combat counterfeit products.

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/17-4-04

Publication date: May 30^th 2025