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What Are The GPSR Requirements For eCommerce Businesses
If you are working in the eCommerce space, you should already be very familiar with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). It is an update to consumer protection laws the EU recently made, aiming to make sure all products – whether sold online (or offline) – meet strict safety standards.
Does it sound familiar? That’s because it is set to replace the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). However, stricter requirements have been introduced for businesses, and clearer responsibilities have been outlined for online marketplaces.
As the GPSR was implemented in December 2024, companies must act now to align their operations with the new regulations. Online sellers, marketplaces, and advertisers must ensure their product information is accurate, transparent, and compliant with safety requirements. Failure to do so could result in penalties, product recalls, or reputational damage.
However, at The Good Marketer, we come to the rescue. Read more to learn how the GPSR impacts eCommerce strategies, from product listings and advertising compliance to consumer trust and brand positioning.
But First, What is GPSR?
The main objective of the EU General Product Safety Regulation is to enhance product safety across all sales channels. However, there is a particular focus on online marketplaces. Consumer protection is at the heart of the new update, improving product traceability and establishing clear responsibilities for businesses.
For digital marketers and individuals with eCommerce stores, the GPSR outlines stricter safety requirements, product listings, and obligations for online marketplaces to monitor and remove products that could be considered unsafe.
Unlike its predecessors, it is more comprehensive, explicitly addressing eCommerce and the digital landscape. So, it is time to align your digital business with the updates.
What Changes for Digital Marketing?
For digital marketing, GPSR regulations are mainly about how businesses promote and present their products online. Here are some areas of your business you should consider updating:
Product Listings
Product listings and descriptions will be among the most critical areas affected by the new regulation. Marketers should now make sure all product information is accurate, up-to-date, and compliant with any relevant safety standards.
As always, transparency is key. Take the time to clearly communicate your product’s safety features, benefits, USPs, and certifications, and ensure you mention any potential risks.
Advertising & Promotions
Here, you should make an effort to prevent any misleading claims. Your paid ads, influencer partnerships and even email marketing strategies should accurately reflect product safety and compliance. You can also include safety assurances with your promotional content to serve as a trust-building tool, differentiating your brand from the competition in the competitive eCommerce landscape.
Social Media Marketing
With the GPSR, your social media marketing now requires closer monitoring. Brands should manage all user-generated content to make sure that, again, customer reviews, testimonials, and influencer collaborations comply with the safety regulations.
Think of compliance as another way to build your brand credibility and customer confidence. It will give you many opportunities to prove you are transparent and care for your customer’s safety.
eCommerce Regulations & Online Marketplace
Online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and other platforms bear greater responsibility for staying compliant and ensuring the safety of products sold through their channels.
Such platforms should now implement strict monitoring, verification, and reporting mechanisms to identify and remove unsafe products as quickly as possible.
If you are a third-party seller, you should aim to provide clear safety documentation, accurate product descriptions and improved traceability.
If you fail to do so, this could lead to product takedowns, fines, or loss of marketplace privileges.
As the regulation’s enforcement tightens, digital marketers must now work together with sellers to ensure all promotional efforts align with the evolving marketplace regulations, ultimately safeguarding both consumers and brand reputation.
How Will It Affect Your eCommerce Businesses?
If you are an eCommerce business that sells its own products directly through your website, you must now provide clear labelling and keep detailed documentation on your products’ origins and safety testing to comply with the new regulations.
The new obligations apply to manufacturers selling goods through online marketplaces and importers of goods sold through other channels.
If this applies to you, your business should now be able to provide the following:
- Name, address, and electronic contact details of the manufacturer.
- If the manufacturer is outside the EU/EEA/NI, the name, address, and electronic contact details of an authorised economic operator.
- Images of the product and details on the product type.
- Warnings and safety notifications should be provided in a language that the consumer can understand.
These should be attached to the product or included in a document accompanying the product.
Moreover, there are some new responsibilities you should be aware of. You should:
- Establish a single point of contact for market surveillance authorities and inquiries.
- Record all product and customer information.
- Use the Safety Business Gateway to report any safety issues.
- Report and cooperate with market surveillance authorities and other economic operators.
- Implement internal compliance procedures.
Finally, it is important to remember that these new rules will apply to all products with the following exclusions: food, feed, medicine for human use, live plants and animals, aircraft involving low safety risks, and antiques.
Challenges in Compliance
A big challenge digital marketers need to face is finding a way to balance product safety data collection with GDPR compliance. GPSR asks businesses to track and report on product safety, but there are strict data privacy laws that limit how consumer information can be collected and processed.
As a marketer, your responsibility will be to handle any consumer data transparently and with clear consent mechanisms in place.
Moreover, if your brand operates across multiple regions, you might have to navigate different product safety regulations. The compliance standard in the EU under GPSR may not align with US or Asian regulations. You will have to sit down and tailor different marketing strategies for each market if you are operating your business across a range of countries.
However, you can think of compliance as a powerful tool for building consumer trust. When you openly communicate your commitment as a brand, you inevitably strengthen your customers’ loyalty and position yourself as a reliable business.
The Future Outlook
This is not going to be the last update on general product safety regulations. They will continue to evolve, and digital marketers will have to remain agile and flexible, adapting strategies to comply.
We envision even stricter standards on traceability, AI-driven monitoring for product compliance, and more rigorous enforcement of online marketplace accountability as possible future developments.
These regulatory shifts can also present opportunities for innovation in marketing strategies. Brands that proactively incorporate compliance messaging into their campaigns, leverage AI tools for automated compliance checks, and use interactive content to educate consumers on safety features can turn regulatory adherence into a competitive advantage.
Ultimately, this increasingly regulated digital landscape is another way for marketers and eCommerce business owners to establish strong brand trust, customer loyalty and long-term business sustainability.