Flash Eurobarometer 396 (Retailers´ Attitudes Towards Cross-border Trade and Consumer Protection, wave 4)

Attitudes of retailers towards cross-border trade. Knowledge regarding consumer legislation.

Topics: interest in starting or intention to continue to sell online in the next twelve months to consumers: in the own country, in other EU countries, both; confidence regarding selling online to consumers: in the own country, in other EU countries, both; companies already practicing online selling were asked: importance of selected obstacles to the development of online sales to other EU countries: differences in national tax regulations, in national consumer protection rules, and in national contract law, higher costs of cross-border delivery compared to domestic delivery, higher costs in resolving complaints and disputes cross-border, higher fraud and non-payment risks, extra costs arising from language differences or after-sales services, restrictions imposed by manufacturers and suppliers, higher transport costs; companies not yet practicing online selling were asked: importance of selected obstacles to the development of online sales: additional consumer protection rules, higher delivery costs, higher costs in resolving complaints and disputes online, higher fraud and non-payment risks, extra costs arising from after-sales services, extra needs for IT skills, extra need for capital for the development of IT applications, nature of the company’s business; assessment of the share of non-food products currently on the market in the own country which comply with safety standards; knowledge of the customer’s right to have a durable good repaired or replaced for free bought 18 months ago; knowledge test concerning the prohibition of selected commercial practices by law in the own country: include an invoice or a similar document in marketing material, run promotional campaigns stating discount although discount products are almost out of stock, promote products for children in advertisements targeting parents, describe products as ‘free’ that are only available calling premium rate phone numbers; experiences with the following unfair commercial practices by competitors in the last twelve months in the own country or in another EU country: offering products as free of charge even if entailing substantial charges, pressuring consumers with persistent calls or messages, advertising falsely that a certain product is available only for a limited period, writing fake reviews which are in fact hidden adverts or attacks on competitors, sending unsolicited products to consumers asking to pay the product, other unfair commercial practices; attitude towards the following statements on market surveillance activities of selected institutions in the own country in the company’s sector: public authorities actively monitor and ensure compliance with consumer legislation, consumer NGOs actively monitor compliance with consumer legislation, self-regulatory bodies actively monitor respect of codes of conduct or codes of practice, media regularly report on businesses which do not respect consumer legislation, public authorities actively monitor and ensure compliance with product safety legislation; events related to product safety in the last two years: withdrawal or recall of product on behalf of the authorities, issue of product warning on behalf of the authorities; attitude towards selected statements about compliance with consumer legislation in the own sector in the own country and in other EU countries: competitors comply with consumer legislation, it is easy to comply with consumer legislation, costs of compliance are reasonable; most environmental claims about goods or services in the own sector in the own country are reliable; knowledge of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or out-of-court dispute resolution bodies for settling disputes with consumers in the own country; reception of complaints in the last twelve months from consumers located in the own country through: in-house customer services, non-governmental consumer organizations, public authorities, ADR bodies, courts, or other channels; reception of complaints in the last twelve months from consumers located in other EU countries through: in-house customer services, European Consumer Centres, non-governmental consumer organizations, public authorities, ADR bodies, European Small Claims Procedure, courts (other than European Small Claims Procedure), or other channels; type of complaints received from consumers in the own country or from other EU countries in the last twelve months: about the product, about the delivery, about contractual terms, about extra charges, about the safety of products, about remedies following a complaint.

Demography: information about the company: company size, direct selling to final consumers, number of employees; position of respondent at the company; decision making responsibility of respondent within the company; turnover of the company in the last year; EU countries cross-border sales to final consumers are made to; retail sales channels; online selling to final consumers in: the own country, other EU countries, other non-EU countries; kind of products or services sold online to final consumers; selling in other languages.

Additionally coded was: country; NACE-Code; preferred language of the interview (only in BE, EE, FI, IE, LV, LU, MT); nation group; weighting factor.