The Role of Consumers in Propagating Counterfeit Products

The Role of Consumers in Propagating Counterfeit Products

Counterfeit products pose a serious threat not just to the manufacturers of legitimate products but also to economies across the globe. Despite law enforcement officials taking this crime of the 21st century seriously, counterfeit continues unabated. In addition to destroying hard earned brand equity and brand reputation, counterfeits also cause widespread unemployment and threaten consumers' health and protection. Yet it is quite an irony that despite the threat that counterfeit products pose to consumers, it is being observed that consumers either knowingly or unknowingly continue to contribute to the growth of counterfeiting internationally.

Legitimate product manufacturers have to inevitably spend on ancillary costs that include fraud investigations, audits and increased customer service costs. So while enterprises may not be directly responsible for the after-effects of a counterfeit product masquerading as their own, they are unfortunately liable for any health threat that could affect the consumer. Therefore they need to inform their consumers about counterfeit products and also take stringent measures for their brand protection. Estimates indicate that counterfeiting, which is a multi-billion dollar industry is growing exponentially. From clothes, shoes, electronics and other luxury goods to electrical switches, cabling and industrial bearings, all have found their way into the counterfeiters' product offering.

Consumers who indulge in buying counterfeits can be of two types: knowing or unknowing. When a customer is unaware that he or she has purchased a counterfeit product, they are an unknowing supporter of counterfeiting. Before purchasing online products these customers need to ask themselves simple questions such as; does the product's price indicate it's a legitimate product? Does the seller on the website have a decent reputation and, more importantly, a decent rating? They need to question if the image matches the actual product detail that has been depicted on the manufacturer's website.

Conversely when the customer consciously and willingly buys a counterfeit product they are complicit in counterfeiting and the ancillary results of this action. Also such customers tend to overlook the fact that getting a good deal may come at a price, one that far outweighs the discount of the original product price. For instance, if the counterfeit product doesn't perform as it is supposed to you cannot go back to the legitimate manufacturer for support.

Some customers get taken in by knock-offs, which are products that look just like the trademarked product but lack the branding that the original would have. So while the legitimate company might spend untold hours and millions of dollars in creating a brand, unscrupulous counterfeiters copy the design and profit from their work. Consumers have a responsibility to avoid contributing to the degradation of the original brand holder and putting money in the pockets of the people who profit from this commerce. Therefore it is time to refuse contributing to product counterfeiting efforts. Conscious decisions need to be made by consumers to avoid buying counterfeit products because of the wide ramifications for the safety of the public. Additionally it affects the economic welfare of the companies and people that legitimately produce these products. Customers need to stop buying counterfeit products, it is the only way to effectively stop any form of brand counterfeiting.

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