Consumer awareness
Consumer awareness - it is an action taken by the trader to ensure that the purchaser is aware of the information provided to him about a given product, good or service. Additionally, he should be duly informed about the rights and obligations of the entrepreneur, e. g. in the complaint procedure. Producing such awareness is particularly important not only for the consumer himself but also for the business. It follows from the fact that in case of a lack of information, he may file a possible lawsuit for reimbursement of expenses, and the court may determine an appropriate criminal sanction against the entrepreneur. The formation of consumer awareness is strongly correlated with the concept of consumer rights. This is because building consumer failure is all about educating consumers about their rights.
Building consumer awareness
Shaping consumer awareness of his rights is particularly important when a consumer purchases goods such as:
- Electronics;
- Food;
- Clothing;
- Products via the company's online shop.
With this in mind, a company can pursue an educational policy in several different ways. These include clear quality policies and a complaints policy. By shaping clear messages, the company is able to protect the consumer from making the wrong purchase decision (and thus save the long trial itself).
In addition, it is important to always include detailed shop regulations (when using online sales channels. It should, inter alia, take into account all consumer rights, the procedure for returning and claiming goods and specific provisions concerning the costs to be borne by the trader in case of e. g. damage to the goods. Additionally, it is a good idea to place friendly bold graphics during the transaction process[1].
The last proactive action that an entrepreneur can take is information on privacy and security policy. The first one boils down to compliance with the provisions on the protection of personal data and the indication of contact data, which are binding in terms of access to consumer data. The latter, on the other hand, should provide for rules for making payments or ordering products. In particular, the entrepreneur should draw the consumer's attention to potential phishing activities or attempts to defraud passwords. Thus, it may provide messages that the portal administrator will never ask the user/consumer for a password. Moreover, he should inform about possible attempts to redirect payments to unauthorized sites, which may try to defraud bank account login details or make payments to an account that is not assigned to the trader[2].
Consumer awareness as a useful marketing policy tool
Developing consumer awareness of their rights can be a powerful marketing tool. By building trust in consumers, the company is able to gain regular customers, who will always choose it because of its proven solutions. In addition, at a later stage, these consumers will disseminate whispered information about the company through whispered marketing, which will enable the company to gain even more potential customers[3].
It is worth mentioning, however, that consumer failure rate is also positive in terms of advertising and image policy. A company's focus on social responsibility and consumer friendly is crucial for the development of any business. Therefore, it is recommended that you maintain a tendency to build consumer failure rate.
Footnotes
| Consumer awareness — recommended articles |
| Consumer protection — Consumer rights — Consumer services — Reasonable price — Certificate of free sale — Turnkey business — Consulting in management — Managing agent — Material misrepresentation |
References
- Barosso A., Llobet G. (2012), Advertising and Consumer Awareness ofNew, Differentiated Products, "Journal of Marketing Research",p. 4-8
- Honka E., Hortacsu A., Vitorino A. (2017), Advertising, consumer awareness, and choice: evidence from the U.S. banking industry, RAND "Journal of Economics",p. 614-618
- Servaes H., Tamayo A. (2013), The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on firm value: The Role of Customer Awareness, "Management Science",p. 1045-1061
Author: Agnieszka Gogola
