Extending factors of brand attachment in developing consumers’ purchase intentions: a multi-wave consumer perspective

Existing literature has overlooked investigating the factors that foster attachment in counterfeit consumers. This research developed and validated a model that considers social, personal, functional, and economic factors influencing brand attachment and purchase intention. The moderating effect of hedonic benefits was researched under well-established theories—the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and attachment theory. A multi-wave method using purposive sampling was applied to collect 529 responses from consumers about counterfeiting. This data was then analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 24.0. The results of the model fit indices of measurement (χ²/df = 2.1927; RMSEA = 0.048) and structural model (χ²/df = 2.552; RMSEA = 0.054) are indicated as satisfactory. The study found that most factors—social, personal, functional, and economic—have a significant positive association with brand attachment to counterfeit products. However, we found that transactional value, conformity, and novelty have an insignificant relationship with brand attachment. The findings also confirmed that brand attachment has a positive relationship with purchase intentions for luxury counterfeit products. Further, hedonic benefits positively moderate the relationship between brand attachment and the willingness to buy luxury counterfeit goods. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on brand attachment, psychology, consumer behavior, TPB, and attachment theory. The study aids luxury and apparel businesses and acknowledges limitations by offering research directions.