I get it. You’ve got a ton of other things to worry about—like staff meetings, getting orders out on time, and making sure you make it to your kid’s team practice! But don’t let product safety fall to the bottom of your list.
Depending on where and how you are sourcing products, it can be an easy factor to slip your mind, especially when you’ve got orders upon orders coming in, especially a really large one coming in for your biggest customer. Everything is going swimmingly with this order. Everything is on time, and the proof looks amazing. Except, something happens, and the details are a little fuzzy, but the product ends up being defective… and that could cost you a lot more in the long run than just the cost of the order.
It’s a horrendous stroke of bad luck, and while not entirely your fault, your client is upset and has lost trust in you. You’ve lost trust in the supplier you went through. It’s an all-out nightmare.
But isn’t it up to the supplier to ensure their products are safe?
Well, yes and no. The supplier is absolutely responsible for providing applicable compliance and product safety information on the products they sell. But you’re the customer liaison, and your customer might consider this an excuse or blameshifting, which can come across as unprofessional. And at the risk of stating the obvious, the easiest way to avoid these situations altogether is to stop them before they start. How do you do that? Education.
As your customers’ liaison, consultant, and subject matter expert on all things promotional products, educating yourself on product safety is the most important thing you can do to protect them and yourself.
Product safety can be a daunting topic, but there are lots of resources out there to help! And the number one source for anyone in the promotional products industry is PPAI! Not only do they offer a Product Safety Aware Program and invaluable resources on product safety, but they also keep up with product safety news, including new regulations passed by the government.
The next is the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the CPSC. The CPSC is a government organization that helps you navigate the maze of product safety. They have a list of currently recalled items, as well as classes and resources for businesses to make sure they’re up to snuff.
Vigilance is another important way to ensure the products you acquire for your clients are safe. While it’s important to investigate every product you source, you especially need to keep a very, very close eye on three particular types: products for kids, health and beauty products, and products that come in contact with food. These tend to be the products of the most concern.
And SAGE can help you with that!
When sourcing your products in SAGE Total Access you can search for specific compliances by using the drop-down search entitled “standards.” Here, you can check things like Prop 65, Food Grade, and more.
Product safety is an unavoidable concern in the promotional products industry, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary. PPAI and the CPSC provide many quality resources for education, and with SAGE, you have integrated tools to help you find the right partners and the safest products. Your diligence will pay off in the long run with fewer problems, lower costs, and safer products in the hands of consumers. And that’s a safe bet!
While we’ve only scratched the surface here, to learn more about product safety and compliances, take a look at our in-depth guide, review PPAI’s Product Safety Aware Program, and stay vigilant out there, folks!
