Constructing Consumer Protection Communication to Foster Consumer Sovereignty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijbmp.v4i2.233Keywords:
Consumer Protection Communication, Consumer Sovereignty, Consumer Protection, Communication, Communication TheoryAbstract
Consumer protection communication has evolved from merely disseminating information into a strategic communication approach aimed at strengthening consumer sovereignty in the digital era. Using interpretative narrative review based on an extensive literature review. The findings demonstrate that consumer protection communication is no longer limited to resolving consumer complaints but functions as a multidimensional strategy for building trust, transparency, accountability, and collaboration among stakeholders. Digital transformation has fundamentally shifted consumers from passive recipients of protection into active participants who act as co-creators, prosumers, and market watchdogs through digital literacy, participation, and technological engagement.
References
Aguayo-Villodas, B. A., Reyes-Gomez, S. E., Cordova-Buiza, F., & Auccahuasi, W. (2023, May). Consumer Interaction in the Digital Environment: A Systematic Review. In International Conference on Management, Tourism and Technologies (pp. 71-80). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Airoldi, M., and J. Rokka. 2022. “Algorithmic Consumer Culture.” Consumption Markets & Culture 25 (5): 411–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2022.2084726
Benartzi, S., & Thaler, R. H. (1999). Risk aversion or myopia? Choices in repeated gambles and retirement investments. Management science, 45(3), 364-381. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.45.3.364
Bhargava, V. R., & Velasquez, M. (2021). Ethics of the attention economy: The problem of social media addiction. Business Ethics Quarterly, 31(3), 321-359.
Bhatnagar, K., Cayla, J., Dion, D. et al. Consumer Sovereignty and the Ethics of Recognition. J Bus Ethics 192, 1–19 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05512-y
Blaz, C. L. C., G. M. D. Ganga, M. Godinho Filho, and T. M. Tavares. 2026. “Second-Hand Goes Digital: A Systematic Literature Review of Consumer Motivations and Barriers in Online Resale Platforms.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2026.2674160
Brownsword, R. (2017). After Brexit: Regulatory-instrumentalism, coherentism and the English law of contract. Journal of Contract Law, 34, 139.
Caliandro, A., A. Gandini, L. Bainotti, and G. Anselmi. 2024. “The Platformization of Consumer Culture: A Theoretical Framework.” Marketing Theory 24 (1): 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705931231225537
Chirat, Alexandre (2024). "Consumer Sovereignty in the Digital Society", Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: Including a Symposium on John Kenneth Galbraith: Economic Structures and Policies for the Twenty-first Century, Luca Fiorito, Scott Scheall, Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0743-41542024000041C003
Cope, S., Frewer, L. J., Houghton, J., Rowe, G., Fischer, A. R. H., & de Jonge, J. (2010). Consumer perceptions of best practice in food risk communication and management: Implications for risk analysis policy. Food Policy, 35(4), 349-357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.04.002
Dey, B. L., Yen, D., & Samuel, L. (2020). Digital consumer culture and digital acculturation. International Journal of Information Management, 51, 102057. 0.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.102057
Dixon-Woods, M., Agarwal, S., Jones, D., Young, B., & Sutton, A. (2005). Synthesising qualitative and quantitative evidence: a review of possible methods. Journal of health services research & policy, 10(1), 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/135581960501000110
Donoghue, S., & De Klerk, H. M. (2009). The right to be heard and to be understood: a conceptual framework for consumer protection in emerging economies. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33(4), 456-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00773.x
Duan, Y., Edwards, J. S., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2019). Artificial intelligence for decision making in the era of Big Data–evolution, challenges and research agenda. International journal of information management, 48, 63-71. 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.01.021
Dubois, D., Rucker, D. D., & Tormala, Z. L. (2011). From rumors to facts, and facts to rumors: The role of certainty decay in consumer communications. Journal of marketing research, 48(6), 1020-1032. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.09.0018
Duffy, B. E., T. Poell, and D. B. Nieborg. 2019. “Platform Practices in the Cultural Industries: Creativity, Labor, and Citizenship.” Social Media + Society 5 (4): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119879672
Duong, N. T., Bui, T., & Pham Thi, T. D. (2026). Is sustainable transport experience the key to shared mobility adoption? A multi-study approaches. Transportation Planning and Technology, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2026.2698804
Egan-Wyer, C. 2026. “Messy Customer Journey Self-Mapping: A Qualitative Method for the Future of Second-Hand Retail and Consumption.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2025.2596201
Eilert, M., & Robinson, S. (2025). Empowering Consumers with Disabilities Through Generative AI Cocreation of Servicescape Information. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 44(3), 457-472.https://doi.org/10.1177/07439156251328341
Ertz, M., F. Durif, and M. Arcand. 2019. “A Conceptual Perspective on Collaborative Consumption.” AMS Review 9 (1): 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-018-0121-3
Fares, O. H., J. Aversa, and S. H. M. Lee. 2026. “The Drivers of Retail Digital Banking Channel Acceptance in Incumbent Banks: A Meta-Analysis and Future Research Directions.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2026.2670687
Foxall, G. R., & Pallister, J. G. (1998). Measuring purchase decision involvement for financial services: comparison of the Zaichkowsky and Mittal scales. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 16(5), 180-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652329810228181
Granados, N., & Gupta, A. (2013). Transparency strategy: Competing with information in a digital world. MIS quarterly, 637-641.
Gregory, R. W., Kaganer, E., Henfridsson, O., & Ruch, T. J. (2018). It Consumerization and the Transformation of IT Governance1. MIS quarterly, 42(4), 1225-1253.https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2018/13703
Hanelt, A., Bohnsack, R., Marz, D., & Antunes Marante, C. (2021). A systematic review of the literature on digital transformation: Insights and implications for strategy and organizational change. Journal of management studies, 58(5), 1159-1197.https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12639
Henry, P. C. 2010. “How Mainstream Consumers Think About Consumer Rights and Responsibilities.” Journal of Consumer Research 37 (4): 670–687. https://doi.org/10.1086/653657
Howells, G. (2020). Protecting consumer protection values in the fourth industrial revolution. Journal of Consumer Policy, 43(1), 145-175.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-019-09430-3
Kalaignanam, K., Tuli, K. R., Kushwaha, T., Lee, L., & Gal, D. (2021). Marketing agility: The concept, antecedents, and a research agenda. Journal of Marketing, 85(1), 35-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920952760
Kanungo, R. P., Gupta, S., Patel, P., Prikshat, V., & Liu, R. (2022). Digital consumption and socio-normative vulnerability. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 182, 121808. 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121808
Kastner, M., Tricco, A. C., Soobiah, C., Lillie, E., Perrier, L., Horsley, T., ... & Straus, S. E. (2012). What is the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to conduct a review? Protocol for a scoping review. BMC medical research methodology, 12(1), 114.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
Kim, S. J., Wang, R. J. H., Maslowska, E., & Malthouse, E. C. (2016). “Understanding a fury in your words”: The effects of posting and viewing electronic negative word-of-mouth on purchase behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 511-521. 10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.015
Kozinets, R. V., D. Abrantes Ferreira, and P. Chimenti. 2021. “How Do Platforms Empower Consumers? Insights from the Affordances and Constraints of Reclame Aqui.” Journal of Consumer Research 48 (3): 428–455. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucab014
Kronrod, A. (2016). Marketer-consumer language cooperation in strategic communication. In Strategic communication (pp. 125-141). Routledge.
Lerner, A. P. (1972). The economics and politics of consumer sovereignty. The American Economic Review, 62(1/2), 258-266.
Macready, A. L., Hieke, S., Klimczuk-Kochańska, M., Szumiał, S., Wachter, K., Arnoult, M. H., ... & Grunert, K. G. (2025). Why trust is crucial–The moderating role of trust in the relationship between motivation and intention to buy healthy, sustainable and novel foods. Food Quality and Preference, 126, 105386.10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105386
Mak, V. (2012). The Myth of the'Empowered Consumer': Lessons from Financial Literacy Studies. Zeitschrift für Europäisches Unternehmens-und Verbraucherrecht, 1(4), 254-263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13590-012-0027-5
Martenson, R. (2005). Success in complex decision contexts: The impact of consumer knowledge, involvement, and risk willingness on return on investments in mutual funds and stocks. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 15(4), 449-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593960500197594
Nikolaevich, K. V., & Nikolaevich, L. O. (2019). Formation and implementation of the state-public communication in the field of consumer protection. Публічне урядування, (5 (20)), 123-133.
Nylén, D., & Holmström, J. (2019). Digital innovation in context: Exploring serendipitous and unbounded digital innovation at the church of Sweden. Information Technology & People, 32(3), 696-714.https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2017-0148
O'Connor, C., & Weatherall, J. O. (2019). The misinformation age: How false beliefs spread. Yale University Press.
Ortiz-Riomalo, J. F., Koessler, A. K., & Engel, S. (2023). Fostering collective action through participation in natural resource and environmental management: An integrative and interpretative narrative review using the IAD, NAS and SES frameworks. Journal of environmental management, 331, 117184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117184
Osman, M. (2025). Psychological harm: what is it and how does it apply to consumer products with internet connectivity. Journal of Risk Research, 28(2), 127-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2025.2491086
Palka, W., Pousttchi, K., & Wiedemann, D. G. (2009). Mobile word-of-mouth-A grounded theory of mobile viral marketing. Journal of Information Technology, 24(2), 172-185. https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2008.37
Petrotta, B. A. (2025). From prohibition to promotion: Framing and sourcing the legalization of sports betting in the US. Communication & Sport, 13(3), 374-397. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795231193132
Porru, S., Misso, F. E., Pani, F. E., & Repetto, C. (2020). Smart mobility and public transport: Opportunities and challenges in rural and urban areas. Journal of traffic and transportation engineering (English edition), 7(1), 88- 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtte.2019.10.002
Prakash, N., and A. Thakur. 2026. “Consumer Value Segmentation in the Energy-Efficient Appliance Industry Using Cluster Analysis.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2025.2528117
Redmond, W. H. (2000). Consumer Rationality and Consumer Sovereignty. Review of Social Economy, 58(2), 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/003467600402530
Rezvani, Z., Sohn, S., Jansson, J., & Schnittka, O. (2025). How consumers’ emotions about transport policies shape their adoption of sustainable transport. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 19(7), 587-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2025.2510414
Richards, N. M. (2014). Why data privacy law is (mostly) constitutional. Wm. & Mary L. Rev., 56, 1501.
Ritzer, G., and N. Jurgenson. 2010. “Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The Nature of Capitalism in the Age of the Digital ‘Prosumer’.” Journal of Consumer Culture 10 (1): 13–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540509354673
Robbins, T. W., & Clark, L. (2015). Behavioral addictions. Current opinion in neurobiology, 30, 66-72. 10.1016/j.conb.2014.09.005
Rogova, N., & Matta, S. (2023). The role of identity in digital consumer behavior: A conceptual model and research propositions based on gender. AMS review, 13(1), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-022-00237-z
Sağkaya Güngör, A., & Ozansoy Çadırcı, T. (2022). Understanding digital consumer: A review, synthesis, and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(5), 1829-1858. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12809
Samuilovas, A., & Ušpalytė-Vitkūnienė, R. (2025). The public transport regional integration for ensuring sustainability and accessibility. Transportation Research Procedia, 91, 720-727.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2025.10.092
Sassatelli, R. (2015). Consumer culture, sustainability and a new vision of consumer sovereignty. Sociologia Ruralis, 55(4), 483-496. https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12081
Schöps, J. D., C. Reinhardt, and A. Hemetsberger. 2022. “Sticky Market Webs of Connection – Human and Nonhuman Market Co-Codification Dynamics Across Social Media.” European Journal of Marketing 56 (13): 78–104. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-10-2020-0750
Schweidel, D.A., Bart, Y., Inman, J.J. et al. How consumer digital signals are reshaping the customer journey. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 50, 1257–1276 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00839-w
Scitovsky, T. (1962). On the principle of consumers' sovereignty. The American Economic Review, 52(2), 262-268.
Shahriar, H., & Wulff, G. (2026). Imagined futures of retail and consumption. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2026.2675863
Skålén, P., S. Pace, and B. Cova. 2015. “Firm-Brand Community Value Co-Creation as Alignment of Practices.” European Journal of Marketing 49 (3–4): 596–620. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-08-2013-0409
Staniewski, M., & Awruk, K. (2022). The influence of Instagram on mental well-being and purchasing decisions in a pandemic. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121287. 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121287
Thomas, L., S. Kapitan, and J. Vredenburg. 2026. “Rethinking Sustainable Luxury Fashion: The Role of Serendipitous Sustainability in Second-Hand Markets.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2026.2636548
Tiensuu, A., A.-V. Anttiroiko, and T. Rintamäki. 2026. “Facilitating Circularity in Retail: The Case of an Urban Shopping Center.” The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research: 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2026.2662969
Tsai, S. P. (2005). Integrated mark eting as management of holistic consumer experience. Business Horizons, 48(5), 431-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2005.02.005
Twigg-Flesner, C. (2018). The EU’s proposals for regulating B2B relationships on online platforms - transparency fairness and beyond. Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, 7(6), 222–233
United Nations. (2016). United Nations guidelines for consumer protection. UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT.
Wang, C., Yao, X., Sinha, P. N., Su, H., & Lee, Y. K. (2022). Why do government policy and environmental awareness matter in predicting NEVs purchase intention? Moderating role of education level. Cities, 131, 103904.10.1016/j.cities.2022.103904
Wessel, L. K., Baiyere, A., Ologeanu-Taddei, R., Cha, J., & Jensen, T. B. (2021). Unpacking the difference between digital transformation and IT-enabled organizational transformation. Journal of the Association for information systems, 22(1), 102-129.
Xu, X., Li, K., Chen, G., Wang, T., & Huang, J. (2025). Sense of Control and Belonging: How Hotel Brands Counter Consumers’ Perceived Threats During a Public Health Crisis. SAGE Open, 15(2), https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251336831
Zhang, L. (2025). Market in the fragmented state: Alibaba and the Chinese governance regime of Big Tech. Social Media+ Society, 11(2), 20563051251340147.
Zuboff, S. (2022). Surveillance capitalism or democracy? The death match of institutional orders and the politics of knowledge in our information civilization. Organization Theory, 3(3), 26317877221129290.
Zuboff, S. 2019. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. New York, NY: PublicAffairs.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Andika Hendra Mustaqim

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.





