How knowledgeable are salespeople about the usability of their merchandise?

Carswell, C. Melody; Lio, Cindy H.; McNally, Jennifer

doi:10.1037/e577242012-014

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Consumers also look to salespeople for advice on their purchases. Some recent research suggests that this might not be a good strategy (Carswell, Lio, & McNally, 2004). An examination of sales personnel in stores ranging from small local shops to large national retailers found that salespeople often offered false information or omitted important information when counseling purchasers about ergonomic features of products including dryers, cell phones, recliners, and jewelry.…”

Section: How Do Consumers Select Products?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Product Safety and Effectiveness in the Home

Boehm‐Davis¹

2005

Reviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that accidents rated as the fifth leading cause of death in 2002. A large proportion of these accidents occur in and around the home. For 2003, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that just under 11 million injuries were caused by children's nursery equipment; toys; sports and recreational equipment; home communication and entertainment; household containers; yard and garden equipment; home workshop equipment; home maintenance; general household appliances; heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment; home furnishings and fixtures; and home structures and construction materials. Even those products that are safe to use may not be designed to allow the user to be maximally effective when using those products. This chapter describes a framework that can provide a foundation for understanding the components that play a role in making products safe and effective, a process that can be used by designers to ensure a consideration of the components of the framework, and a discussion of the extent to which consumers select products based on these features. Difficulties in conducting research in this area are identified, as well as some directions for future work.

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Section: How Do Consumers Select Products?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Product Safety and Effectiveness in the Home

Boehm‐Davis¹

2005

Reviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics

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Talk is Cheap: On the Usability Advice Salespeople offer to Older Consumers

Bush

Carswell

Corman

et al. 2006

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual

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When older consumers approach a salesperson with questions about product usability, what advice are they likely to receive? To find out, we interviewed salespeople selling four types of products -cell phones, dryers, recliners, and jewelry. Our 63 participants were more likely to recommend specific features rather than specific products, and they were more likely to focus on mobility rather than cognitive or sensory issues. However, when directly asked to make suggestions for a person who had sensory or cognitive concerns, the salespeople were generally able to do so. We found no evidence that the type of store, the salesperson's gender, or the salesperson's age predicted the amount of usability information they could provide. However, we did learn that the people who provided the most suggestions generally reported coming up with their advice through direct interaction with older adults rather than from reading product literature or from personal product use.

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How knowledgeable are salespeople about the usability of their merchandise?

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Improving Product Safety and Effectiveness in the Home

Improving Product Safety and Effectiveness in the Home

Talk is Cheap: On the Usability Advice Salespeople offer to Older Consumers

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