Consumerism and industrial products

Most companies strive to integrate a "quality" approach to industrial products, particularly in production, as well as an "after-sales" service, with the aim of maximizing consumer satisfaction. But if we are to meet consumer needs as closely as possible, we need to be concerned upstream about their expectations, how products will be used, and how risks can be anticipated, to ensure genuine design quality. Consumerism, and in particular the expression of consumer demands, has long been considered by manufacturers as a form of protest, whereas it can be seen as a source of inspiration for the design or improvement of products and services.

Consumer feedback is crucial to the design, industrialization and manufacture of quality products. Better informed and expecting the quality of service they deserve, consumers have increasingly precise requirements, both expressed and unexpressed. With the internationalization of markets and the development of new technologies, consumer expectations can, paradoxically, be both easier to anticipate and harder to satisfy.

New information and communication technologies have considerably altered the interaction between companies and consumers: not only do they enable companies to monitor sales trends on a day-to-day basis, but they also give them a better understanding of how their products are used, and enable them to detect any incidents as quickly as possible. They are also a means of dialoguing with consumers and, in some cases, of involving them, directly or indirectly, in product design.

Knowing and taking into account the views of consumer organizations, which speak on behalf of consumers, is becoming a necessity in order to be as close as possible to expectations and to anticipate risks and opportunities. Over the past 30 years, organizations with the resources to carry out product tests in laboratories and publish the results in the press or on the Internet have become increasingly professional, and their expertise on products and services is invaluable. The associations that speak out on behalf of consumers and citizens and defend their interests all have, in their own way, the capacity to have an impact on consumer products. Beyond these organized associations, social networks and the multiple possibilities for communication and action they make possible are also capable of carrying the influence of individual consumers.

The stakes are high, as they can affect the commercial success or failure of an industrial product, as well as its safety and the reputation of the brand or company.