New service will help online consumers
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| Avoid the crowds - the ADR inventory is designed to boost confidence in online shopping |
Paris, 19 July 2002 - A worldwide inventory of online Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services for consumers has been posted on the ICC website to assist shoppers making purchases over the Internet.
The ADR inventory for consumers (B2C) is based on a survey carried out in partnership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It showed that the vast majority of consumer ADR providers, whether online or offline, are in the United States and Europe - and the developing world is scarcely covered at all.
English is the most widely-used language, but ADR providers of services to consumers in Europe frequently offer them both in English and their own languages.
ICC information technology specialist Ayesha Hassan commented: "It was hard to find ADR providers in developing countries, especially Asia and Latin America, that are available
to assist consumers."
Ms Hassan added: "Particularly for developing countries with low Internet penetration rates, the market for ADR services for complaints from online customers is either very new or non-existent."
Still, there is an underlying trend towards increased online provision of ADR services geared to consumer needs. These B2C services are typically available to help resolve both offline and online disputes.
Designed to boost confidence in the Internet as a commercial tool, the inventory covers both business-to-consumer (B2C) and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online transactions.
Replies to the survey were received from 37 organizations in 16 countries, all but five of them in Europe and the United States.
Online retail sales are growing rapidly, but still represent only a small fraction of the B2C market. In the United States, total e-commerce retail sales were estimated at $32.6 billion in 2001, an increase of 19.3% from 2000.
Ms Hassan commented: "Getting satisfaction if goods are sub-standard or do not conform with the order is obviously important to the average consumer, and this is a major consideration for many people buying online.
"In fact, most disputes over retail transactions are settled within a company's internal customer care department and never reach the stage when they require third-party involvement."
Business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer alternative dispute resolution (ADR) Inventory Project (Full text) (PDF)
The ADR inventory