Online marketplaces are popular – they now account for almost 50 per cent of online retail sales. At the same time, online marketplaces also pose specific challenges for consumer protection.
Against this background, ConPolicy was commissioned by the DIN Consumer Council to investigate consumer problems in transactions via online marketplaces by means of a literature analysis and a representative online survey and to derive recommendations for action for consumer policy and tandardization from the results.
Dr Christiane Rohleder, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection: "The study by the DIN Consumer Council clearly shows that consumers expect online marketplaces to take more responsibility for the products sold there and for the platforms to prevent dubious business practices. It is important that consumers are clearly informed before making a purchase that it is a purchase on an online marketplace and not an online shop and what responsibilities result from this."
Michaela Hildebrandt, Project Manager at the DIN Consumer Council, drew the following conclusions from the study: "The study not only provides concrete recommendations for action for consumer policy, but also derives recommendations for standardisation. It is striking that online marketplaces still receive little attention within standardisation."
Further information on the project can be found here.
The study results can be accessed here.
The joint press release of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and DIN Consumer Council can be found here.