German Society for Consumer Studies
| German Society for Consumer Studies mbH | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 2012 |
| Seat | Berlin |
| management | Katja Likowski, Oliver Hauf |
| Branch | Product tests, awards |
| Website | www.dtgv.de |
The German Society for Consumer Studies GmbH (DtGV), based in Berlin, is a private-sector product, service and company tester that checks and compares according to predefined criteria. The test results provide consumers with orientation and can be used by companies in the form of study volumes and test seals against payment of a fee.
Test methodology
The DtGV uses various methods to compare goods and services ( comparative goods test ). These range from organic and inorganic analysis through qualified test laboratories, sensory tests and usage tests to the use of mystery shoppers to check the quality of advice and service. Comparative product tests serve to objectively determine and present the suitability for use, the utility value and the quality of products. The determination is made by testing the products and services, i. H. arranged test situations in which certain performances are provoked and measured. The central requirements of the BGH for comparative product tests, neutrality, objectivity and expertise apply to these tests .
The specific test model used for the tests is determined by the DtGV project managers themselves or with the help of external partners. The tests are usually carried out without prior information from the providers involved. They will only be informed after the tests have been carried out in order to avoid any external influence.
In addition, the DtGV uses comparative customer surveys to create rankings of products and services. The results are published in the form of awards, such as the German customer award.
Market environment
Goods and service tests such as those offered by the DtGV are offered by a manageable number of companies and organizations. There are also providers of comparative surveys and providers of feature comparisons, whose aim is also to compare goods, services and companies. The best-known representative in the field of product tests is the Stiftung Warentest , whose seal 96% of Germans know. Also known are Öko-Test and, with a focus on electronics, the magazine Chip .
In addition to carrying out comparative product tests, seals are also awarded on the basis of comparative surveys . Usually registered customers (online panelists) are asked about their assessment of certain topics with regard to individual providers, products or services. The opinions recorded are subjective and therefore do not meet the requirements of the BGH for comparative product tests, but can still be used to compare and rank products and offers.
Online websites with fake tests: This practice has become significantly less due to increased warnings. Most of the time, the providers in question now compare products and services with one another on the basis of clearly visible product features. The implementation requires a certain amount of product knowledge in order to identify the crucial parameters. These comparisons also enable a ranking of the examined products and relieve the consumer of research work.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ DtGV tests: selection, methodology, grades, etc. Accessed on February 2, 2019 .
- ↑ Helga Brennecke: The comparative product test: an investigation of its possibilities and limits with regard to the market overview of the consumer . University of Göttingen, dissertation (1965).
- ↑ Criteria for the product test privilege . In: BGH, December 9th, 1975 - VI ZR 157/73, WRP 1976, 166 .
- ↑ German Customer Award 2018. Retrieved on February 2, 2019 .
- ↑ Study: seals of approval increase willingness to buy and price. Retrieved February 2, 2019 .
- ↑ How fake tests deceive consumers. Retrieved February 2, 2019 .