This One or that One? Certification Marks in the Purchasing and Consumption Decision Process of Brazilians

Abstract

Every day, we consume and purchase a wide range products and services. As consumers, we look for quality, safety and reasonable prices. The advertising market seeks, whenever possible, to publicize the qualities of products and services to convince us – the final consumers – that their messages are enough for our purchasing decisions. However, to consolidate our choices, it does not seem appropriate to rely on only superficial advertising messages. Collective, certification, geographical indication and warranty marks can contribute in a more qualified way to consumption decisions, as they are based on carefully defined parameters, which can ensure benefits, reduce possible risks in the use of products and services, in addition to align interests related to social welfare, inclusion and sustainability of business and customers/users. This paper, which integrates a Ph.D. research in Service Design field, seeks, through a quantitative method carried out with people who live in big cities localized in all major regions of Brazil, in order to identify if the Brazilian consumer has knowledge about certification marks, as well as if they value and recognize their importance at the time of decision to purchase and/or consume products/services.