Emergency response playbook: Stop-sell, recall & security incidents

This playbook helps you respond quickly and effectively to three critical situations:

• Stop-sell: Immediate removal of a product from sale due to regulatory, safety, or compliance concerns.
• Recall: Retrieval of products already sold to customers when a defect, safety issue, or regulatory non-compliance is identified.
• Security incident: Breach or suspected breach affecting customer data, payment details, or vendor account access.

A stop-sell requires immediate action to prevent further sales of an affected product. Follow these steps:

Confirm the concern, whether it's incorrect labelling, a safety risk, banned materials, or regulatory non-compliance.

Remove or pause the affected product(s) from your Elexbig store straight away. Do not wait for confirmation from Support.

Raise a high-priority ticket through the vendor portal with full details of the issue, including product IDs and the nature of the problem.

Share supporting evidence such as supplier communication, test results, safety certificates, or regulatory notices.

Work with your supplier or internal team to address the problem before reinstating sales. Elexbig will need confirmation that the issue has been resolved.

Important: Continuing to sell affected products after being instructed to stop may result in immediate suspension or delisting of your vendor account.

Product recalls are serious and require careful coordination with Elexbig and your customers.

Determine the scale of the problem, the severity of the safety issue, and which customers are affected. Gather all relevant order data.

Provide the product ID, affected order IDs, date range of sales, and the nature of the defect or safety concern.

Your plan should outline:

• How you will contact affected customers
• Return logistics and collection arrangements
• Whether you're offering refunds, replacements, or both
• Timeline for completion
• Any regulatory reporting requirements

Work with Elexbig to ensure customers receive accurate, timely instructions. Your messaging should be clear, apologetic, and action oriented.

Track recall completions, follow up with non-responsive customers, and provide regular updates to Elexbig Support.

Regulatory requirement: Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, you may be required to report a product recall, safety incident, or defective product to the appropriate Nigerian regulatory authority, such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), or another relevant regulator or certification body.

Pro tip: Keep detailed records of all recall communications and responses. This documentation may be required for regulatory compliance and future audits.

Security incidents must be treated with urgency to protect customer data and your business reputation.

Immediately reset passwords, suspend access for any compromised accounts, and log out of all sessions where suspicious activity is detected.

Raise a high-priority ticket outlining what happened, when you first noticed it, what data may be affected, and what immediate actions you've taken.

Include system logs, screenshots, error reports, unusual order patterns, or any other evidence that helps investigate the incident.

Cooperate fully with investigations and implement all recommended security measures. This may include temporary account restrictions.

After the incident is resolved:

• Review and strengthen all passwords
• Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts
• Audit user access permissions
• Review your security practices with your team
• Update any outdated systems or software

Don't wait: Even suspected incidents should be reported promptly. Delays can significantly increase the risk to customer data and may result in compliance violations.

Being prepared can make the difference between a manageable incident and a crisis.

Keep an up-to-date list of suppliers, couriers, certification bodies, and internal team members with clear escalation protocols.

Ensure product documentation, order records, supplier details, and compliance certificates are easily accessible in an emergency.

Make sure all staff know how to recognise and escalate emergency situations. Everyone should know who to contact and what immediate steps to take.

Conduct regular reviews of your packaging, labelling, product safety documentation, and regulatory compliance to catch issues before they become emergencies.

Enable multi-factor authentication on all vendor accounts, use strong unique passwords, and regularly review who has access to your systems.

Pro tip: Run a short "emergency drill" with your team once a year to practise stop-sell or recall procedures. This helps identify gaps in your processes before a real incident occurs.

Who decides if a product should be stop-sold?

You can initiate a stop-sell yourself if you identify a concern. However, Elexbig may also enforce a stop-sell if a compliance or safety issue is identified through our monitoring or customer reports.

You are responsible for preparing the recall message and providing the content. Elexbig will assist with delivery through our customer communication channels to ensure it reaches all affected buyers.

Vendors are responsible for all recall-related costs, including refunds, return postage, and replacement products. Failure to complete a mandatory recall may result in enforcement action and potential legal consequences.

Any suspected unauthorized access to your vendor account, customer data, payment systems, or unusual account activity should be treated as a security incident and reported immediately.

Yes. In some cases, Elexbig may temporarily suspend or limit your account while an investigation is ongoing to protect customers and maintain marketplace integrity.

Do I need to report recalls to government authorities?

Depending on the product category, the nature of the defect, and the potential risk to consumers, you may be legally required to report a product recall or serious safety issue to the appropriate Nigerian regulatory authority. This may include the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), or another relevant regulator responsible for your product category.

Vendors should ensure they understand and comply with their obligations under applicable Nigerian consumer protection, product safety, and data protection laws, as well as ELEXBIG's marketplace policies.

Our vendor support is here for you

Chat with Elex, our AI assistant. Look for the chat icon on this page
Open a support ticket
Email us at [email protected]