Examining the Role of Social Media Influence on Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in India’s Counterfeit Markets

Abstract

The study provides empirical evidence on whether social media factors influence the counterfeit purchase intentions of consumers or not. The present study assumes that social media largely influences consumers' attitudes towards counterfeit products and motivates them to visit counterfeit markets intentionally. The study used primary data collected from counterfeit markets of Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. A two-part structured questionnaire consisting of demographic profiles and social media determinants was circulated among the consumers who were actually visited the counterfeit markets between February-March 2025. The study got a total of 406 valid responses, and subsequently, the collected data were analysed through PLS-SEM. The study's findings indicate that social media platform and user-generated content positively influence consumer purchase intention. However, the study found no significant relationship between social media word of mouth and purchase intention. The study also checked for the mediation effect of attitude, showing that attitude mediates the relationship between social media determinants and consumers' purchase intention towards counterfeit products.