Consumer services
Consumer services - is the process whereby businesses consult their consumers on new products such as food, herbs, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, hair products or dyes. This means that, on the basis of a signed bilateral agreement, consumers agree to test the products in question and to express their opinion on the placing on the market of the product.
This is one of the oldest forms of product quality testing, as it refers directly to their potential customers. It is very often used by marketing agencies, which, while promoting a given product, want to learn its greatest values from the opinions of potential customers and then skillfully present them in advertising messages. It happens that so-called consumer services are located on the Internet, whereby means of sending specific samples, consumers are later obliged to express their opinions on a specific product directly to the manufacturer or distributor.
Consumer services and protection from abusive acts
In general, consumer services are characterized by the fact that consumers allow interference with their bodies or share intimate qualities. This means that they are subjected to certain human experiments to examine their inner feelings and then commercialize them (C. Bianchi 2011, p. 282-293). Therefore, the law requires that such persons receive adequate compensation for potential moral losses and for the risk of allergy, bodily injury and the like. In addition, the law requires that the producers concerned always inform about the potential risks that the consumer may face when providing services. This means that the person who organizes the tests should inform you of
- Risks related to a given project, in particular, the side effects of testing;
- Testing rules and possible exit password;
- The scope of research and interference in physics and the human psyche.
Where the test organizer has exceeded the scope of any consent, the consumer may seek appropriate compensation. In addition, the infringer will be liable to prosecution for the violation of the physical integrity of the person exceeding the scope of the consent given. It is also worth mentioning that regardless of who is the project supervisor, the responsibility will also be borne by the person performing activities exceeding the scope of the consent.
Consumer services from a marketing perspective
Consumer testing also plays a very important marketing role. Through the first alpha tests, manufacturers are slowly introducing exclusive products to the market. They are made available mainly to influential people whose opinion has a significant impact on the shopping mood of other consumers. They make online reviews, share their opinions on how to improve a product or simply recommend it to friends (L. Davis, N. Hodges 2012, p. 4-10). In closed phases of testing, these people very often publish press releases on the progress of the project. In this way, they are able to reassure those with less influence that the course of development of the product is going in the right direction and that the consumer should not worry about anything, because producers are in a good position for research and development (M. Srivastava, D. Kaul 2016, p. 277-286).
| Consumer services — recommended articles |
| Consumer rights — Certificate of conformance — Customer service office — Certificate of approval — Customer satisfaction — Authorised dealer — Perception of brand — Confidentiality of information — Selling skills |
References
- Bianchi C. (2011), Inward internationalization of consumer services: lessons from Australian firms "Journal of Services Marketing", nr 25(4)
- Davis L., Hodges N. (2012), Consumer shopping value: An investigation of shopping trip value, in-store shopping value and retail format "Journal of retailing and consumer services"
- Srivastava M., Kaul D. (2016), Exploring the link between customer experience-loyalty-consumer spend "Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services", nr 31
Author: Anita Byś
