Effectiveness of the consumer protection system upon purchasing goods in online stores

Abstract

Every year, the vast majority of countries switch to an online environment. This is especially true for online stores. The subject of this study is the system of consumer protection upon buying goods in online stores and its effectiveness. The purpose is to analyse the state of development of e-commerce in Ukraine and the system of consumer protection upon purchasing goods in online stores. The following general scientific methods were used: classification and theoretical generalisation – to study the theoretical foundations of e-commerce; statistical analysis – to analyse the current state of e-commerce in Ukraine and the consumer protection system. The following results were obtained: based on the analysis of the provisions of current legislation and the experience of foreign countries describing the development of the e-commerce market in Ukraine and the world, the main trends that have developed have been identified, the positive and negative aspects of e-commerce have been identified, as well as the effectiveness of the consumer protection system upon purchasing goods in online stores. It was concluded that the “e-commerce” industry is developing very dynamically. Consumer protection upon purchasing goods through online stores is carried out as with a regular purchase and sale, but it has a number of specific features. To attract potential customers and build their trust, online stores try to post as much information about their products and services as possible on their official websites, including customer reviews. This indicates that the sellers themselves are interested in resolving disputes as soon as possible and preserving their reputation. Taking this into account, it is the improvement of the consumer literacy of citizens, the ability to fully exercise their rights, and to protect their interests in case of certain contradictions that is one of the ways to solve the existing problems