Tuesday, 24, Jun 2008 10:54
The internet has increased the power of the consumer and given them autonomy in the decision-making process, an expert asserts.
Vincent Potier, managing director of communications provider Vonage, explains he "believes strongly" in such consumer power.
Previously, people have been exploited by large corporations able to use mass advertising to convince them to make purchases, but the web has shifted the balance of power, he continues.
The internet is both a medium and a network, which has "given back that level of autonomy and that level of decision-making power to the consumers, whether [they're dealing with] a low-cost airline, or an internet bank or a telecommunications company", Mr Potier adds.
Last month, Caroline Waters, director of employment policy at BT, remarked that the proliferation of user-generated content online has led to the rise of the "citizen marketer".
She argued that negative consumer reviews can "kill" a product's reputation outright but the internet also allows firms to influence huge communities.