The consumer attitude towards the third-party organization (TPO) endorsement – an empirical investigation in the child products category

Abstract

Theoretical background: The issue of recommendations provided by institutions (third-party organisations) is rarely addressed in the literature. The market practice observation provides, however, numerous examples of the use of such recommendations. This is particularly visible in the recommendations given by scientific medical institutions in the form of a symbol – usually a logo and the name of the recommending organisation, used on packaging or in advertising campaigns. German Stiftung Warentest (test.de) and Austrian Verein für Konsumenteninformation (vki.at) provide a good benchmark because these institutions are established by the state’s authority to provide an independent assessment of products and to consequently protect the consumers’ interests. Polish scientific research institutions, such as the Institute of Mother and Child or the Institute of Food and Nutrition, have similar goals but they are operated and financed disparately.

Purpose of the article: In this article, the aim is to present the concept of measuring the attitude towards the TPO endorsement and determining the antecedents of this phenomenon in the context of purchasing products for children by their mothers.

Research methods: To develop the scale measuring the attitude towards TPO endorsement and to determine the antecedents of this occurrence, computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) research was conducted using a random sample of 1,001 women aged 25–45 having children up to age 6. Mothers of small children were chosen due to the character of products recommended by the analysed TPO (scientific medical institutions) in Poland. These are mainly products for children and purchasing decisions are made mostly by their mothers. The measurement scale was constructed on the basis of the ABC (affective, behavioural, cognitive) attitude, taking the expertise level and the source’s trustworthiness into account. A set of four statements measured by a four-point scale was adopted. The middle value was excluded on purpose to make respondents clearly declare whether or not they agree with a given statement.

Main findings: The purchase of products for children is a prudent decision, often involving the entire family. Mothers willingly spend more on products for their children if they only have the option of paying for safer and better-quality products. From the results, 79% of the respondents are usually satisfied with the products recommended by a well-known medical research institution. For 71%, such institutions use their expert knowledge when recommending products for children. More than half of the respondents (54%) seek recommendations of medical research institutions when buying products for their children. The TPO endorsement in the form of a “seal” has the greatest importance in case of products for children in the following categories: food and beverages (81%), cosmetics (68%), hygienic products (51%), accessories (47%), toys (31%), clothes and shoes (16%).