Abstract

Consumers of dietary supplements should be made aware of the benefits and risks of these products. This case study therefore aimed to identify the content of the risk-benefit information provided during the purchase of St. John’s wort supplements and how consumers perceive this information. Fifteen participants visited a shop to purchase St. John’s wort supplements after which they were interviewed on the provided information during the visit. This case study shows that the spontaneous information provision is not consistent in Dutch drugstores and health food shops. The provided information was either very detailed, or no information was given at all. The perceived reliability of information was mainly determined by the authority of the employee and the type of shop where the product was purchased. Information consistency at the moment of purchase is of influence in the perceived value of it.

摘要

膳食补充剂的消费者应了解这些产品的益处和风险。因此，本案例研究旨在确定在购买圣约翰草补充剂期间提供的风险收益信息的内容以及消费者如何看待这些信息。15 名参与者参观了一家商店购买圣约翰草补充剂，之后他们在访问期间接受了所提供信息的采访。本案例研究表明，荷兰药店和保健食品店的自发信息提供不一致。提供的信息要么非常详细，要么根本没有提供任何信息。信息的感知可靠性主要由员工的权威和购买产品的商店类型决定。