In an era of tremendous innovation and an explosion of new lines of products, the creation of standards has never been so important. UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) created its first standard in 1903 and now boasts a portfolio of 1,700 standards; other standards-setting bodies include the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). Moderated by ULSE Director of Insights Sayon Deb, a CES panel of experts underscored the critical importance of such standards for developing and marketing innovative products. According to Deb, 60 percent of consumers express greater confidence in certified products.

Deb explained that this level of confidence is “on a par with brand reputation and ahead of expert and user reviews.” Further, 93 percent of senior executives see certifications as innovation drivers, not roadblocks.

SimpliSafe CTO Rebecca Zavin noted the importance of standards for her company’s CE home sensing products like smoke detectors, stating that it’s “important to how we integrate new technologies.”

CTA Senior Director of Technology & Standards Kerri Haresign reported “how tricky it can be to find the right time to create a standard that innovators can build on top of. CTA (which has 135+ standards) currently has seven AI standards.”

CSA recently rolled out IP-based connectivity protocol Matter for safely and securely connecting Internet of Things (IoT) devices. CSA Head of Technology Chris LaPré noted that his organization is “use-case driven,” and iterates Matter every six months. Government organizations like the SEC and European Union set the bar, “so we can say our product meets the bar wherever we sell in the world.”

ULSE Head of Insights & Policy Analysis Lesley Rohrbaugh said that, “UL runs market studies and economic forecasting to help local legislators understand how it affects their community.”

She recounted that ULSE is working with New York City on the issue of e-bike fires occurring with uncertified batteries. “We’re providing localized data so they understand what happens when fires do occur in terms of loss of life and expenses,” she said. “Those numbers paint the picture.”

Online markets have also highlighted the importance of standards. SimpliSafe’s Zavin suggested that online marketplaces for electronic goods are much like the “Wild West.” “You want to know that if you buy a smoke detector, it will detect a fire in your home,” she said. “In an online marketplace, it’s a total unknown.”

In the future, the need for standards will continue to grow. “Innovation isn’t slowing down,” said Rohrbaugh. “And standards shouldn’t be slowing down for any of the standards organizations. What needs to continue is the harmonization of the ecosystem.”