EDUCATING consumers is a critical component of effective communication, and it involves providing knowledge, skills and awareness for consumers to make informed decisions.
Educated consumers are more likely to make choices that align with their values and needs, fostering trust, loyalty and long-term relationships with businesses.
Educated consumers are also able to achieve greater consumer rights and address issues before them critically, and seek solutions.
There are a few areas where the average housewife and other consumers are ignorant:
Many consumers today cannot distinguish an imitation product from a genuine one, but they should be able to know the difference.
Many do not know the difference between a guarantee and warranty.
Consumers should make it a point to learn how to make a complaint and get redress when they are cheated by businesses.
They should also know their legal rights as consumers, and learn to check for test
reports before buying any product.
Many consumers fall prey to false and misleading advertising and are gypped by door-to-door salesmen.
Consumers need information to make the best choices so they can choose products that are fairly priced, safe and durable.
Consumer education is for the protection of consumers and has never been more urgent, especially in this present time when doubtful trade practices are rampant.
Businesses have resorted to many insidious ways of cheating – through dishonest advertising, misleading labelling, short weight, imitations, poor quality and even dangerous products – which have to be brought to the notice of innocent and sometimes gullible public.
Our market today is penetrated by many imitation products, making it difficult to distinguish between imitation and genuine.
There are many prohibited food colouring and food additives that are being used in the manufacture of edible products.
Consumer education programmes should be action-oriented to help consumers with concrete suggestions to buy wisely and get their money’s worth. These programmes should cover market studies, research, testing of products, with reference to international studies.
In many Western countries, thousands of books, periodicals and test reports are published and disseminated for public information and education, and the mass media contribute directly to this process.
We too can make progress in consumer education to better equip our consumers in these times of high and perplexing price increases.
Education means sharing valuable information and resources to help consumers better understand products, services, industry practices or broader issues related to the brand’s offerings.
By being transparent and proactive, businesses can build lasting relationships with their customers.
It is time consumers learn to evaluate marketing strategies critically and compare products and services effectively.
Last but not least, consumer education should include questioning the value and quality of products and services for their worth, and making informed choices, so that consumers will not be misled by false advertising.
Bulbir Singh is a former president of the Negeri Sembilan Consumers Association. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
