Standards behind
the headlines

Whether you’re spending the next few weeks searching for gifts for friends and family, or browsing online for ideas for the company gift exchange, you can walk away with some deals without compromising your personal information.

Tech Shapes the Personalized Holiday Shopping Experience

Retailers are turning to technology to gather more insights on customers as bots and artificial intelligence help personalize the 2023 holiday shopping experience. According to expert insights highlighted in a recent McKinsey podcast on consumer and retail trends, generative AI is being used “to gather consumer comments as a whole and to analyze the themes and reactions that consumers have toward what’s on offer.” As a result, retailers can quickly assess, gather, and produce what consumers want at a faster pace—with a shopping experience that benefits brands and their consumers alike.

As Forbes recently noted in its coverage, such retail personalization can equip brands “with the capability to fine-tune their inventory management, minimizing excess stock and contributing to waste reduction and enhanced sustainability goals, an important cause for Gen Z shoppers.”

While it’s easy to get swept away in browsing and purchasing in the midst of gift-giving season, be aware that there are hackers, scammers, and cyber criminals who are also on the prowl for unsuspecting customers vulnerable to attacks.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) states that the best defense against cyber threats is awareness, and offers a few online holiday shopping safety tips:

• Check Your Devices (and Toys!): Is your software up-to-date? Enable automatic software updates on your tablet, mobile phones, computer software, and your kids’ favorite toys and devices. Also, check your devices’ privacy to see how your information is being used and stored.
• Only Shop Through Trusted Sources: Discounts are great, but consider where you’re finding your deals. Rather than clicking on ads on webpages, CISA advises interacting with reputable, established vendors. Also, make sure your information is being encrypted by checking that website browsers begin with “https:” rather than “http:”
• Use Safe Methods for Purchasing: Be wary of the information you’re providing on websites. If possible, use a credit card rather than a debit card, as there are laws that limit your liability for fraudulent credit cards, CISA notes. Also, be alert for emails that request personal information. If you see a suspect message in your inbox, you can report it at: cisa.gov/uscert/report-phishing.

From Toys and the Supply Chain to Cyber Shopping, Standards Support a Safer Holiday Season!

If you’re on the search for some of the top toys of the season, ASTM F963-17, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, relates to possible hazards that may not be recognized readily by the public and that may be encountered in the normal use for which a toy is intended (or after reasonably foreseeable abuse). It covers requirements and contains test methods for toys intended for use by children under 14 years of age. The standard was developed by ASTM International, an ANSI member and audited designator.

To help assure security of your online transactions, IEEE, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has published IEEE 1363.2, Standard Specifications for Password-Based Public-Key Cryptographic Techniques, which includes specifications for the use of passwords to secure online transactions, including the use of methods for password-authenticated key retrieval.

There are several standards that support a safer supply chain, protecting your deliveries in transit, including ANSI/ASIS SCRM.1-2014, Supply Chain Risk Management: A Compilation Of Best Practices, which was developed by ASIS International, an ANSI-accredited standards developing organization. The standard provides guidance and current best practices for developing and embedding a framework and process of risk management in supply chain management.

These standards are just a sampling of the hundreds that support a safer shopping experience, both online and in stores.

We hope you have a happy and safe holiday (shopping) season!