Getting Proactive About Regulatory Compliance in Hardlines Retail
Inspectorio is excited to share a new thought leadership contribution from Shreyas Shetty, VP of Sales and Account Management for Hardlines and Grocery, published by Retail TouchPoints: “Getting Proactive About Regulatory Compliance in Hardlines Retail.” In this executive viewpoint, Shreyas explains why hardlines retailers can no longer rely on manual, reactive approaches to compliance as regulations expand and enforcement accelerates.
Why Regulatory Risk Is Growing for Hardlines
Hardlines categories such as furniture, toys, hardware, and electronics face complex, overlapping requirements that now span product safety, labor practices, environmental impact, and documentation. Shreyas’ article highlights how developments like expanded UFLPA enforcement, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, stricter CPSC oversight, and EU due diligence rules are reshaping how retailers must manage their supplier networks and product portfolios.
For retailers sourcing components such as lithium batteries, copper wiring, steel, and other high-priority materials, the cost of non-compliance now includes shipment detentions, recalls, penalties, and reputational damage that can quickly outweigh the cost of building robust compliance programs.
From Reactive Compliance to Intelligent Compliance
In the Retail TouchPoints piece, Shreyas outlines a path from reactive “firefighting” to intelligent compliance built on data, automation, and collaboration. He describes how leading hardlines retailers are:
- Monitoring regulatory change continuously and mapping new rules to affected SKUs in near real time.
- Using automated risk scoring to prioritize suppliers and products for deeper due diligence.
- Building defensible, easily accessible documentation that can be shared quickly with regulators and partners.
- Planning scenarios in advance so teams can respond within hours when regulations, suppliers, or sourcing regions change.
This shift enables retailers to reduce last-minute disruptions at ports, avoid costly remediation, and turn supply chain compliance into a competitive advantage.
How Inspectorio Supports Proactive Compliance
Inspectorio’s platform is designed to help brands, retailers, and suppliers move toward the proactive model described in Shreyas’ article. By digitizing quality and compliance data, connecting suppliers and partners on a single platform, and applying AI-driven risk and performance analytics, Inspectorio helps organizations:
- Standardize and digitize responsible sourcing programs across categories and regions.
- Gain real-time visibility into quality, compliance, and traceability performance across their networks.
- Identify at-risk purchase orders, suppliers, and materials before they create downstream disruptions.
With this foundation, retailers and brands can respond faster to new regulations, document compliance more effectively, and build resilient, future-ready hardlines supply chains.
Read the Full Article and Join the Conversation
You can read Shreyas’ full executive viewpoint on Retail TouchPoints here: “Getting Proactive About Regulatory Compliance in Hardlines Retail.”
Inspectorio will also be sharing this piece across our social channels as requested by Retail TouchPoints, and we encourage you to join the conversation, share your perspective, and engage with Retail TouchPoints’ community on LinkedIn and X.
Follow Retail TouchPoints on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retail-touchpoints/
Follow Retail TouchPoints on X: https://twitter.com/RTouchPoints
