Flash Eurobarometer 186 (Business attitudes towards cross-border sales and consumer protection)

Attitudes of retailers towards cross-border trade.<br>Topics: 1. Information about the company: retail sales channels; number of EU countries active marketing or advertising to final consumers is made to; percentage of the total marketing and advertising budget used to encourage consumers from other EU countries to buy own products or services; estimated percentage of sales made by consumers on holidays or on a shopping trip who live in other EU countries; number of EU languages currently used in transactions with consumers.

2. Cross-border sales: number of EU countries cross-border sales to final consumers are made to; impact of the internet and eCommerce on cross-border sales of the company; percentage of eCommerce and internet sales going to consumers in other EU countries; percentage of mail order or telephone sales going to consumers in other EU countries; percentage of sales made by representatives going to consumers in other EU countries; percentage of total sales from the aforementioned channels going to consumers in other EU countries; percentage of total sales from the aforementioned channels going to consumers in non-EU countries.

3. Obstacles to B2B cross-border trade: importance of selected obstacles to cross-border sales: different length of cooling off periods, provision of differing consumer information, different consequences for failing to comply with information requirements, differing rights of withdrawal, different treatment of costs of return, different definitions of delivery, different legislation in member states regarding goods not in conformity with consumer contract; rating of the possible extra compliance costs for cross-border sales due to different legal regulations of transactions with consumers in other EU countries; importance of further obstacles: additional costs of compliance with different national tax regulations and regulations on consumer transactions, higher costs of cross-border delivery compared to domestic delivery, greater difficulty in resolving complaints and disputes cross-border, higher risk of fraud and non-payments, greater difficulty in ensuring efficient after-sales services, extra costs arising from language differences.

4. Measures to facilitate B2B cross-border trade: expected development of the company’s cross-border sales in case of the assumed provision of common EU laws on regulating transactions; number of EU countries cross-border sales to final consumers are made to; knowledge where to find information on consumer protection in other EU countries; use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Demography: information about the company: number of employees, direct selling to final consumers, independent or part of national or international group, number of EU countries with subsidiaries or retail outlets.

Additionally coded was: interview number; respondent ID; interviewer ID; language of the interview; country; date of interview; time of the beginning of the interview; duration of the interview; call history; NACE-Code; weighting factor.