(PDF) Editorial: Stop saying “vulnerable consumers/customers”!
When the word ‘vulnerable’ is used as an adjective to describe people, such as ‘vulnerable consumers’ this risks causing harm (or more harm) to those experiencing vulnerability. We recommend that ‘vulnerability’ is used as a noun to describe the situation people experience, suchas ‘consumer vulnerability’ rather than as an adjective to modify a noun (see Macdonald et al.,2021). The use of person-first terminology is consistent with adopting a strengths-based approachto customer vulnerability (Raciti et al. 2022, Russell-Bennett et. al. 2023). This addresses one ofthe harm factors listed above by taking away the stigma incumbent with assigned labels. Forpolicymakers or practitioners who aim to focus on addressing those who are at a higher risk ofharm, we suggest the following term is optimal: “consumers experiencing heightened vulnerability” (CEHV). The shorter term to use outside this framework is “consumers experiencing vulnerability”.