But what exactly do the seals of approval mean and do consumers actually consider them important in their purchasing decisions? The following article takes a closer look at this topic.
These properties are highlighted by cachets
Some characteristics are particularly popular to highlight with the help of a quality seal, such as economy, safety technology, health or sustainability.
The quality of the product or service in question must, of course, be verified by a body. These are usually recognized institutions that specify which requirements must be met or fulfilled.
After the initial inspection, regular in-house and external monitoring is carried out to ensure that the respective quality standards are not neglected over time. Some certifications are also designed to be time-limited, so that they have to be reacquired at certain intervals.
In the area of quality seals, however, hardly any legal guidelines existed, so that basically anyone is able to create and award a quality seal.
Cachet - What is it anyway?
In general, a cachet can be described as a label that serves to draw consumers' attention to particular advantages or positive characteristics of a service or product.
Thus, cachets can be seen as important management and information tools that are intended to strengthen consumer confidence in the manufacturer. However, it goes without saying that seals of approval also play a role in marketing that should not be neglected - after all, they offer the potential for sales increases as well as an increase in brand awareness. In addition, the image of a company or brand also benefits significantly from the awards.
Incidentally, of course, not only products and services can be distinguished by seals of quality. More and more companies are also relying on them when it comes to recruiting qualified employees, for example with the recognized Top Employer seal.
How seals of approval affect consumers
Numerous studies have already been conducted on the subject of seals of approval. Some of them have looked, for example, at which characteristics of a seal lead consumers to trust and believe them. Basically, the majority of consumers know that, in the context of consumer protection, certifications make an essential contribution. For this reason, most of them now also pay extremely close attention to the seals of approval in the course of their purchasing decisions.
The results of the study showed that more than 70 percent of the survey participants have a particularly high level of trust in quality seals that are subject to monitoring as part of an independent test procedure. Transparent criteria play an important role for more than 60 percent of respondents - these also increase the credibility of the certification. Consumers are thus becoming increasingly aware of the value of independent quality seals, provided they are transparent and independent.
Nevertheless, consumer skepticism is increasing in general, which can be attributed primarily to the fact that there is now an almost unmanageable number of different quality seals. As a result, consumers are increasingly conducting research on the Internet to find out the actual value of a quality seal. Above all, certifications for which the company in question has to pay money are viewed critically.