An introduction to the special issue on the past, present and future research on deliberate lookalikes

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the contemporary thinking on deliberate lookalikes and to provide a better understanding of its key forms (counterfeits, copycats and no-name imitations) and markets (deceptive and non-deceptive). Design/methodology/approach This editorial contains a review of current and past literature on deliberate lookalikes along with summaries of all the articles accepted for publication in the special issue on deliberate lookalikes. The guest editors used academic databases such as Web of Science to find the most representative scholarly work on deliberate lookalikes literature. Findings This editorial identifies pertinent research gaps in the literature on deliberate lookalikes. The five selected articles address some of these research gaps and provide useful insights on the purchase and usage of deliberate lookalikes along with directions for future research and ways to apply different research methods that could have important implications for scholars and managers. Originality/value The editorial and special issue extends the knowledge about the deliberate lookalikes and their effects on firms, brands and consumers. This work opens new avenues for the research about different forms and markets in the context of lookalikes.

Do you consider buying a counterfeit? New evidence from the theory of planned behaviour and cognitive dissonance theory

“…Furthermore, various psychological and social factors related to the influence of counterfeit decision choices have been previously studied, however, the research showed mixed findings (Davcik et al , 2019; Prendergast et al , 2002). Some studies point out that although perceived risk significantly reduces (Riquelme et al , 2012) and value consciousness significantly increases (Hidayat and Diwasasri, 2013; Ang et al , 2001), attitudes towards counterfeiting, others find them to have no impacts (Bhatia, 2018; Phau and Teah, 2009).…”

“…Additionally, social influence is found to significantly impact attitudes towards counterfeiting/piracy in some studies negatively (Ang et al , 2001) and in other studies positively (Moon et al , 2018; Riquelme et al , 2012). Likewise, some studies report a significant negative influence of ethical judgement on attitudes towards counterfeiting (Jiang et al , 2019; Quoquab et al , 2017) and purchase intention (Ha and Lennon, 2006) but others do not (Davcik et al , 2019). Given that the majority of these factors have not previously been studied within the Egyptian context, there is a need to investigate them so that global foreign brand producers/retailers can gain a better understanding of the Egyptian consumers' attitudes towards counterfeiting and their purchase intention and, hence, adopt the appropriate marketing strategies.…”

“…This study investigates the non-deceptive purchase intention of counterfeit clothes (such as shirts, T-shirts and pullovers) and accessories (such as bags/wallets, belts, footwear, sunglasses, watches and perfumes/body splashes). Clothes and accessories were selected to represent the fashion industry, as it accounts for nearly 60% of the total value of the cases caught by customs authorities, as reported by the World Customs Organization (Davcik et al , 2019). These products also have varying attributes (risk, price and technological dimensions) (Le Roux, 2019).…”

Combating lookalike product through adapting advertising appeals to consumer value: Strategic implications to brand imitation management

“…Research indicates that "lookalike products" primarily consist of two types: counterfeit and copycat (Davcik et al, 2019;Jiang et al, 2023).…”

A Goods-Dominant—Service-Dominant Perspective on Counterfeiting

“…Counterfeits are defined as products that are identical to a trademark registered to another party and that infringe the rights of the holder (Bian et al 2016). With an annual import value of more than $400 billion, they constitute about 7% of the world trade, and present a significant macromarketing concern (Davcik et al 2019; OECD/EUIPO 2016). Counterfeits are known to cause dissatisfaction among the patrons of the original, and a loss of sales for the genuine brand (Evans, Starr, and Brodie 2019).…”