Detailing the best ways to keep consumers safe when purchasing products globally. Presented by Nancy Cowles at the CPSC Tri-lateral Summit on June 27th, 2018.

1. BEST PRACTICES FOR KEEPING
CONSUMERS SAFE IN A GLOBAL
MARKETPLACE
Nancy A. Cowles
Executive Director
Kids In Danger
©Kids In Danger 2018

2. Kids In Danger
Kids In Danger (KID) was
founded in 1998,
following the death of
Danny Keysar in an
unsafe portable crib.

3. KID’s Mission
Our mission is to save lives
by enhancing transparency
and accountability through
safer product development,
better education and stronger
advocacy for children.

4. Integrating
design safety
into the
engineering
curriculum

5. Being a voice
for families to
pass strong
protections for
children’s
safety

6. Giving parents
and caregivers
the tools they
need to keep
their children
safe

7. KID IS
ONLINE

8. Coalition Building
KID fulfills our mission by
working together with
allies, regulators and
parents’ organizations.

9. ICPHSO
• International Consumer Product Health
and Safety Organization (Ick-Fa-So)
• Global (NGO) membership
organization that attracts health and
safety professionals throughout the
world
• Provides an international, neutral
forum for product safety stakeholders
to learn, network and share
information

10. KEEPING CONSUMERS
SAFE AROUNDTHE
WORLD

11. We now have a global
marketplace
■ 79% of Americans shop online
■ In 2016, 58% of global internet users had
purchased products online; this is expected to
grow to 63% by 2019
■ 83% of the online population in China purchased a
product online within the past month
■ 57% of global online shoppers made an online
purchase in the past six months from an overseas
retailer
■ In Europe, Great Britain, Germany and France
have the highest per capita spending for online
shopping in 2017

12. What do consumers expect
in online shopping?
• They get what they see online.
• It will work and not hurt their
child.
• They will receive information
they need to put it together
and use it safely.
• It is safe – or it wouldn’t be for
sale.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

13. What are the safety benefits of buying
online?
• Product sales can be tracked:
 The seller can reach consumers if there is a
recall or safety issue
 Regulators can identify hazards and know
where the product was bought.
• Consumers can use online reviews to see safety
experiences of other consumers and share their
own.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

14. What are some of the safety concerns?
• Consumers can’t see health and safety
warnings as they do on packaging in retail
outlets
• Age grading might not be available
• Instructions for assembly might be hard to
follow or missing, leading to misassembly.
• It might not meet local safety standards

15. How to reach buyers with
safety information
• In the US, Section 105 of the
Consumer Product Safety Act
requires the same safety warnings
online or in catalogues as in stores
on packaging
• Provide instruction videos,
warning labels and more on the
purchase site.
• Keep up with online reviews –
respond to those sharing unsafe
usage ideas
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

16. • Does the product meet safety
standards?And if yes, which
standards? It’s not easy to know.
• Direct sales eliminate or
circumvent retailer standards and
requirements which are
sometimes more protective.
• Regulators have a hard time
monitoring sales, both unsafe
and recalled products are found
online.

17. How to assess safety and
quality of products sold
online
• Look for standards
markings on sites
• Read reviews on the site
and on other sites
• Check sites such as
SaferProducts.gov for
incident reports or recalls
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

18. What can consumers do to make sure
the products they buy online are safe?
• Consider purchase carefully
• Look for safety information on
the site: standard mark, warnings,
usage instructions
• Use trusted online sites that have
a return policy
• Check reviews
• Register your product with the
manufacturer so you will get
recall notices and safety
information
• Report problems with products

19. What can organizations and businesses do?
• Provide full information on safety
warnings, instructions and assembly
• Encourage consumers to register
products for safety messaging after sale.
• Test all products to industry or
mandatory standards and indicate which
standards were met
• Work with marketplace sites to improve
safety information available
• Monitor reviews and remove products
shown to be unsafe or respond to
reviews that recommend unsafe use.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

20. What can regulators do?
Monitor internet sales in your jurisdictionMonitor
Encourageconsumers to report unsafe productsReporting
Require safety & warning information to be postedWarnings
Take action against sellers of unsafe products
Take
Action
Encourage testing to strongest standards availableTesting

21. ONE GOAL:
SAFETY
Together we can keep consumers
and children safe and have a
thriving global marketplace.

22. THANKYOU
Nancy A Cowles
Executive Director
Kids In Danger
nancy@kidsindanger.org
www.KidsInDanger.org