E-commerce is the process of offering for sale, transacting sales, and delivering consumer product(s) or non-consumer product(s) when the purchaser is not physically present at the point of purchase. It includes online sales made using websites and phone applications, catalog sales, and sales transacted via online marketplaces by third parties when the purchaser is not physically present.
The laws and regulations of e-commerce establish the technical requirements for web-based sales of products, including smartphone and computer applications. This includes other websites and/or programs that offer products for sale and permit customers to make purchases without being physically present to inspect and select individual products and commodities in person. The regulation also applies to any product information that shall accompany the transaction(s) including but not limited to labeling and receipts.
The model regulation for e-commerce can be found in NIST Handbook 130 Section IV. Uniform Regulations G. Uniform E-commerce Regulation.
The laws and regulations for e-commerce provide consumers with accurate and adequate identity and net quantity information for products sold via e-commerce to help facilitate purchaser confidence in e-commerce purchases. This regulation establishes requirements for e-commerce sites offering products for purchase, product labeling for products sold via e-commerce, and receipts that detail the identity, quantity, and price the consumer paid upon product delivery. This regulation applies to product identity, net quantity, responsible parties, and price information and is not intended to apply to other product labeling or quality requirements.
The Uniform E-commerce Regulation in NIST Handbook 130 was adopted in 2023 during the 108th Annual Meeting of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM).
NCWM adopted a model e-commerce regulation to assist those states authorized to adopt such regulation under provisions of their weights and measures laws. The customer benefit of having clear and consistent price, quantity, and identity information during an e-commerce transaction should be greater confidence that a product purchased is actually the product they intended to purchase. The manufacturer benefit of this e-commerce regulation is clear expectations of what information is required to be provided on e-commerce sites offering products for sale and product information accompanying product delivery.
Note that the 2023 Uniform E-commerce Regulation (and as voluntarily adopted by individual states) does not supersede any labeling requirement specified in Federal laws or statues.