Objectives of Consumer Awareness: Consumer Rights & Responsibilities

The term “consumer” refers to any individual who is set to avail of any amount/kind of service from another individual/party in exchange for a monetary consideration. We can easily infer from the above definition that each and every one of us is a consumer in some shape or another. We as consumers can demand a certain degree of accountability from the market just as we are equally responsible for it. The objectives of consumer awareness is also to make them aware of their rights and responsibilities.

Our responsibilities as a consumer are in no way limited, we have extensive responsibilities, and if we aren’t well aware of them, we would be in no position to demand any accountability from the other party involved either. The importance of consumer awareness in this day and age knows no bounds. Coming from a generation that has been provided with an abundance of online resources, we can’t reiterate enough how vital are the objective of consumer awareness campaigns in the real world.

Consumer awareness programs typically include instructional seminars on the meaning and extent of maximum retail prices, fair price shop, ISI, Agmark, ISO-2000, as well as checking for expiration dates of products.

The Ten Main Objectives of Consumer Awareness are as Follows:

Security Concerns

The only way that one could, in any situation, be able to seek any amount of redressal for being cheated on as a consumer or as a retailer for that matter would be if they were already aware of their rights and duties as a consumer.

Consumer awareness plays a huge role in providing a consumer with a considerable amount of security regarding numerous purchases, whether big or small.

Farther Reach

The impact of consumer awareness is far from being unnoticed. It is very evident when one thinks about how much retailer accountability these platforms have increased just by finding newer ways to increase consumer awareness among the citizens. Consumer awareness has created an environment of consciousness among both the consumer and the retailer across the remotest of the platforms.

Full Disclosure

Any consumer consuming any product has a moral duty to be made aware of the extent of the said product. This means that the consumer in question must be aware of the quality, quantity, power, accuracy, and the product’s market value to protect themselves against unfair trade practices. Even if the prospect of unfair trade is out of the equation, a consumer should still be aware of the aforesaid factors in order to make a wise purchase.

Informative Rights

If we begin to discuss the actual extent of consumer rights awareness, we must put into consideration the fact that every consumer has a right to obtain any amount of relevant information regarding the product that they are seeking to buy.

They have a fundamental right to gather this information or any other which they require in order to make a rational purchase.

A consumer cannot be expected to make a reasonable buy unless they are made aware of all the required specifications of the product in question.

Competitive Comparison

In a world that is increasingly transforming itself and trying to adapt to capitalism, the market is in intense competition. Every product is in competition with another, which is very likely the same but is available at a different, better price. Thus, it is obvious that consumers are also in search of the best available deals, and they wouldn’t succeed in finding them unless they were extensively aware of product details as well as their own rights regarding the purchase of the said product.

Voicing Interests

Consumers who have experienced unfair treatment or have dealt with being cheated on as a consumer and suffered any amount of loss cannot be in a position to voice their interests regarding the same unless they are adequately aware of their own consumer rights with respect to the responsibilities that the retailer failed to fulfill.

There are numerous platforms nowadays that will provide a consumer with enough knowledge to be able to speak up when they have been wronged; without such access, no consumer would be able to understand even the most basic aspect of whether they were even wronged in the first place or not.

Lodging a Complaint

Consumer awareness doesn’t just include acquiring information regarding a specific product but also about what one can do if one is unfairly treated as a consumer. Consumer awareness campaigns also create awareness regarding procedural requirements of lodging a complaint and taking action against unjust trade practices.

Compensation

Any loss incurred by a consumer can be compensated monetarily or otherwise. The consumer has a right to demand compensation if they have been dealt with unfairly and have incurred any form of loss due to it. Settlements in and outside consumer courts have become increasingly popular and have provided for justice in countless cases. Awareness of such consumer rights is vital for survival in the 21st century.

Environmental Issues

Environmental consciousness among retail brands and food chains has increased exponentially, although not a lot of consumers factor these in a while selecting a product. Consumer awareness of environmental issues in order to purchase ethically has become a grave concern since companies out there that are trying to make a difference are failing at creating a huge profit base.

Online Shopping

In current times, where the coronavirus has left us home-bound, online shopping has been our true savior. Consumer awareness has never been more important than today when for all we know, the product that we are purchasing from judging it through a virtual platform could very plausibly be defective or unhygienic. Consumer awareness on online shopping platforms comes with its risks and would fail as an institution if consumers weren’t aware of their rights as a consumer, even from an online platform.

These were the ten main objectives that are kept in mind while planning and drafting consumer awareness campaigns. These objectives of consumer awareness focus on trying to explain to the consumer why being aware of their rights is extremely vital, and choosing to be unaware and oblivious to these would make one susceptible to being cheated as a consumer.