Johnmest: Rasierer Warentest

Stiftung Warentest is a very well known German consumer organisation and foundation

which is known for investigation and comparison of goods and services in the most unbiased

way. The company was founded on 4th December, 1964 and is located in Berlin, Germany.

The company plays too many important roles in areas like comparing objective aspects

like usefulness, environmental impact, and functionality along with educating consumers

to make the best use of their available income in promoting health and environmentally

awareness. The organization is known as an independent and reliable one and levies a

huge influence on the buying behaviour of consumers. The ratings, opinions and verdicts if

good, leverage a product’s advertising campaign while if bad it leads to a decline in sales.

Sometimes an occurrence of a dispute is very common.

Very few know that Stiftung Warentest is a self-financing company. It does so by selling

its own magazines test reviews, whose annual circulation is on an average 509,000 copies;

another related magazine Finanz test sells more than 251,000 copies, also there are many

books and special magazine issues, and also investigation results as paid-for content on

its own website. Sales revenues in 2009 totalled approximately 38.8 million Euros. The

foundation also receives a small subsidy of 6 million Euros from the Federal Ministry of

Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. This is compensation for the fact that it

does not carry any advertisements in its publications because this could compromise its

independence.

Stiftung Warentest carries tests on more than 200 comparative products and also makes

comparative investigations on the services which are used almost in every areas of day to

day life. Since 2002 the company has also paid attention on investigating stores, discount

online stores, retail chains and their reviews have been published in weekly magazines. The

investigators lay huge emphasis on CSR.

The market researchers and scientific staff are selected with the responsibility for

comparing products and services in the most efficient manner. It is necessary for them

to get each investigation process cleared and approved by the advisory council after a

thorough discussion to avoid any hindrance. The company staff themselves do not carry out

investigation but take help of the external sources which may be located worldwide. Even

the test samples are purchased from local shops and not ordered from the manufacturers.

After all the tests and evaluations the details of the result are sent to the manufacturers

so that they can verify on it and make comments. Later on all this is included in the

publications. Journalists and editors summarise these results making them easier to read

and understand.

Johnmest