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According to the 2013 Product Mindset Report conducted by UL, “95% of manufacturers believe quality is their top priority while 51% of consumers think manufactures will always use the least expensive materials for their products.” In my last blog post I wrote about the athletic apparel company Lululemon and how they lost consumer confidence by selling yoga pants of inferior quality. This is a perfect example of why consumers believe manufacturers and retailers will use less expensive materials whenever they can. Along with quality, the report also shows consumers are very concerned with product safety yet consumers don’t think manufacturers make it a big enough priority. How can retailers and manufacturers change consumer opinion and show they really are committed to product quality and safety?

One strategy is to address consumer concerns about products that are already being sold. This past fall, both Walmart and Target chose to put policies in place to better regulate the chemicals that go into their products. Their particular focus is on household goods like cleaners and personal care products. This effort shows a commitment to doing more to protect consumers than is required by the law which is important to winning consumer confidence. According to the Product Mindset report, “consumers believe manufacturers need to improve product safety more than manufacturers will admit.” Clearly some manufacturers and retailers are taking this to heart and working to improve product quality and addressing what goes into the products they sell.

 
Another opportunity to protect consumers from potentially hazardous products, and to build consumer confidence, is to use big data to better track, manage, and mitigate product quality and safety issues. Just last week at the 2014 ICPHSO Symposium, there was a presentation on using big data to improve product safety. By taking a closer look at consumer feedback, product returns, and adverse event data, manufacturers and retailers can set alerts based on keywords to more proactively address product concerns. Compliance and IT professionals have an opportunity to collaborate and better utilize data that is already being collected to improve consumer experience and positively impact consumer perception.

When retailers and manufacturers are proactively mining their data for red flags and addressing potential product concerns before they become major problems, they are acting on behalf of their customers. There is a big difference between just doing what you’re legally obligated to do and doing what’s best for your customers even if you’re not expected to. Taking preventative measures to protect consumers from potential hazards should be normal protocol. When being proactive becomes the norm, negative views towards manufacturer’s commitment to quality and safety with shift and become more positive.