Research for the valorization of children’s product safety on the markets – SAFEVALOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Safety is a key factor for children’s products and decisive in the consumers’ purchase decision, especially in the case of products for babies and young children, like toys or childcare articles.

 

Companies invest in the development and manufacturing of safe products in accordance with the current legislation, often incorporating innovative safety elements and complex risk management processes. However, they do not know the extent to which these aspects are valued by consumers and the safety factors that determine the purchase decision.

 

The SAFEVALOR project intends to address a research to offer companies the tools that allow them to place value on their products’ safety through the safety experts knowledge and the perception of the European consumer regarding children’s product safety at the time of purchase. This research focuses on children’s products aimed at children aged 0-4, as it is the age range where the product safety factor prevails over other purchase factors, such as price.

 

En el rango de edad de cero a cuatro los niños son usuarios muy vulnerables, y su interacción con los productos los expone a niveles mayores de riesgo. Dicha vulnerabilidad junto al instinto de protección natural de los padres/cuidadores hacia los niños, convierten a la seguridad en un factor determinante para la compra del producto por parte del consumidor.

2. METHOD
SAFETY EXPERTS
SURVEYS OF EUROPEAN CONSUMERS
KNOWLEDGE OF SAFETY VALUE
COMPANIES IN THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY
COMPETITIVE IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Document review and analysis of the situation of the academic and business areas
2. Research of the inductor parameters of children’s product safety value
3. Research with users regarding safety value perception in the purchase of early childhood products (0-4 years old)
4. Pilot study with companies
5. Creation of the SAFEVALOR Good Practices Guide

3. RESULTS
Information on how to valorize children’s product safety:
Identification of safety value inductors (at the physical and online points of sale).
Perception of safety by the European consumers of children’s articles.
New risk management and communication strategies to improve the consumer’s perception of product safety.
Pilot cases of collaborating companies
Good practices guide to put value on children’s product safety against the demands of European consumers.

  • 4. RECIPIENTS
    Other stakeholders
    Children’s product companies in the Valencian Community
    Collaborating companies
    SAFETY VALUE INDUCTOR
    Children’s furniture
    Childcare
    Toys
    Safe design (stable, absence of small pieces, etc.)
    Absence of toxic materials
    Sustainability
    Additional protection elements to avoid falls
    Educational/didactic toy
    Seals or safety icons
    CE marking and other safety seals or icons
    Age of use + potential hazards indication
    Graphic information of the product (pictures, videos, texts)
    Guarantees
    Prestigious brand
    EU company with clear manufacturer identification
    National manufacturing and design
    Product registration

Children aged 0-4 are very vulnerable and their interaction with products exposes them to higher levels of risk. That vulnerability, along with the natural protection instinct of parents/caregivers towards the children, turn safety into a decisive factor when it comes to consumers purchasing products.

RESEARCH FOR THE VALORIZATION OF CHILDREN’S PRODUCT SAFETY ON THE MARKETS
SAFETY EXPERTS
SURVEYS OF EUROPEAN CONSUMERS
KNOWLEDGE OF SAFETY VALUE
COMPANIES IN THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY
COMPETITIVE IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
GOOD PRACTICES GUIDE TO PUT VALUE ON THE SAFETY AGAINST THE DEMANDS OF EUROPEAN CONSUMERS

 

Moreover, the research comprises two complementary lines: market trends in terms of risk management and communication that get the product to be perceived as safer, like innovative safety elements in the product, traceability, online register of the product, new communication approaches towards the consumer, etc. On the other hand: the children’s product safety perception of the European consumer at the time of purchase in the different channels of sale (offline and online) and the valorization of the new trends in children’s product safety by the consumer.

 

The research result will be implemented in practice through a pilot study with the companies which will allow to quantify the product safety value perceived by the consumer and the required measures to increase said value, with an approximation both in traditional and online stores.

Project subsidised by IVACE (the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness of Generalitat Valenciana), 50% co-finaned through the FEDER Operational Program of the Valencian Community 2014-2020

  • File number: IMDEEA/2021/6 /
  • Starting date: 07/01/2021
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Status: In process
  • Amount subsidised: 221.035,00 €

 

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