Realising-consumer-rights

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Flattening out of these old hierarchies means consumers can much more easily find the best deals, the highest quality. Consumers no longer have to seek out information alone, they are supported by others creating reviews and information based on first hand experience. And they help each other chart this sea of information by reading, sharing and rating all kinds of content from hotel reviews on Tripadvisor to location-based information on Foursquare. This might be blended with newly opened ‘official’ data sets like the FSA’s food hygiene ratings to create a fuller picture. Tools that allow for easy group formation can bypass official reports and get to the heart of what’s really going on at streetlevel, for example Dutch service Twitcident uses tweets to map realtime impact of travel or weather disruption. As facts are repurposed outside of a brand’s control, consumers can see information across the whole of supply chain such as product contents, manufacturing conditions, environmental impact, even complaints: eg tools like Open Signal App, or the Good Guide transparency toolbar. This coupled with a willingness to speak out shows how radical transparency works to help consumers make an informed choice. The voices heard online are large in number and loud in volume. The amplified voice is turning up the volume on poor service and turning the tables on provider complacency, thus informing and influencing the choices of others. Consumers understand the power of the amplified voice, and are not afraid to talk back; so when providers try to take control of the medium they feel belongs to them it can backfire (#McDStories, #Waitrosereasons). How far have the digital consumer trends and these powerful new tools and services offered consumers new ways to realise the right to be informed We have seen one of the biggest changes in the way the right to be informed can be realised. Providers no longer have a monopoly on information – it is back in the hands of the consumers who create and use it. The eroding of information asymmetries has proved an incredibly effective way to deliver the right to be informed. However, these same channels can carry unreliable information or opinions presented as facts. Knowing who to trust in an open conversation will become vital, as well as enabling all voices to create information and access useful sources. Consumer Futures 28
2. The right to choose: to be able to select from a range of products and services, offered at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality By the time Kennedy made his speech in 1962, choice had exploded beyond all recognition for many as consumption took hold of western imaginations. However, certain limitations were imposed by predetermined ranges, shaped by what manufacturers found most convenient to provide and shoppers’ location heavily influenced what they were able to access. In 2014, we can not only access knowledge and information about alternatives to mainstream products, but can get our hands on them more easily. Devolved computing power means entrepreneurs can take advantage of the relatively lower resources now required to get an idea off the ground. This enables them to duck under mass production models, and reach what might be niche audiences spread across the world. For consumers that means that wherever you are in the world, you’re more likely to be able to access products and services you want (provided you can stump up the import tax). Consumers can also input easily into design and specification of products, or even do it themselves with 3D printers, printing replacement parts for products or building new ones from scratch. Easy group formation enabled by new intermediary services like crowdfunding platforms can even help to bring new entrants to limited markets (eg Seedrs is seeking funding for a new tampon brand, given the lack of choice in UK market). Other peer to peer services like Zopa, or Transferwise break up strangleholds on markets that weren’t delivering on trust or value for consumers eg lending, money exchange, offering a viable alternative. Easy group formation can also give some ‘welly’ to the amplified voice by bringing together people with the same objective into group buying schemes to negotiate better prices (eg collective switching). Many amplified voices don’t just review but offer consumer-generated advice on how to make a good choice, check quality, what questions to ask etc, for example the eHow community contributors. Realising consumer rights 29
Page 1 and 2: Realising consumer rights From JFK
Page 3 and 4: Contents Executive summary.........
Page 5 and 6: • privacy and data issues • man
Page 7 and 8: Figure 1: JFK’s (extended) consum
Page 9 and 10: The internet is the one technology
Page 11 and 12: How this report is structured This
Page 13 and 14: ‘Choice tools’ such as price co
Page 15 and 16: Government policy and the developme
Page 17 and 18: This wealth of information is a mix
Page 19 and 20: 2. It used to be the case that cons
Page 21 and 22: Third is the growing expectation of
Page 23 and 24: The social web has eroded those cos
Page 25 and 26: Figure 6: What could a new intermed
Page 27: Part 2: Implications for realising
Page 31 and 32: 3. The right to be heard: to have c
Page 33 and 34: But are consumers leaving themselve
Page 35 and 36: Of course, many basic needs (or ess
Page 37 and 38: The power of the many amplified voi
Page 39 and 40: How far have the digital consumer t
Page 41 and 42: Part 3: What would Kennedy focus on
Page 43 and 44: There is a possibility that the int
Page 45 and 46: Part 4: Next steps - a new context
Page 47 and 48: Part 5: Resources and references On
Page 49 and 50: Tool Description Page link billmoni
Page 51 and 52: Tool Description Page link M-Farm P
Page 53 and 54: Realising consumer rights 53

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