International e-Commerce expansion and brand protection

 

e-Commerce doesn’t like borders. Imagine the frustration of an online shopper who finally found the perfect deal - only to discover that it’s not available in their location.

 

Indeed, e-Commerce is by its nature an international phenomenon, which often drives brands and sellers to expand their horizons and enter new markets. Similarly, the opportunities found in emerging markets also provide powerful arguments for an international expansion.

 

However, entering a new market is easier said than done. The process often presents brands with serious challenges as well.

 

 

Challenges of international expansion

A new country often means new and different regulations. Authorities in your new market will require you to adhere to their rules, which means that you’ll have to learn all about them before you set foot in the country.

 

Depending on your product, these rules may be anything from quality requirements, environmental protection laws, prohibited ingredients, business laws, and many more that may affect your products in one way or another. Therefore, you have to enquire and learn about the legislative environment in your new country so you don’t inadvertently break the law and get a hefty fine.

 

 

Illustration of a shopper comparing product labels in a supermarket

 

 

Local laws are not the only barrier in your way. Other, unwritten rules, local customs, language and culture may all pose difficulties for your brand and your product. One of the most prominent examples for these issues is the Disney movie Moana. At least, that’s what it’s called in the US. In European countries, the movie is known as either Vaiana or Oceania. There are multiple reasons for this: the word is either under copyright protection, or a well-known person already uses the name so Disney wanted to avoid confusion.

 

Therefore, it’s really important to do your research before your market entry and discover how (and if!) your brand and your product fits into the country. Make adjustments to your packaging, portions, marketing campaigns etc. so they meet all local requirements and expectations.

 

 

| It’s important to do research before your market entry

 

 

While you’re at your research, make sure to check out the competition as well. Find out who is selling similar products to yours, and what are their strategies. In overly saturated markets, you may have to make bigger adjustments to differentiate between your competitors’ products and yours.

 

Find out what sells and what doesn’t with our marketplace sales tracking service!

 

Moreover, take into consideration the practical issues of expansion. How will you send products overseas? How will you serve your customers in a different country, speaking a different language?

 

Depending on how you want to deal with these issues, you may choose to opt for various services to ease your work. For example, going with fulfilment takes the burden of shipping, handling and warehousing off your shoulders. Or you may want to work with a local business partner, e.g. an importer or reseller who knows and corresponds to all local customs and regulations.

 

But do they correspond to your expectations? Our partner compliance service lets you know!

 

Finally, let’s not forget about the dangers your IP rights may face abroad. In fact, you don’t even have to enter a new market for international fraudsters to infringe on your IP rights! Luckily, this is an issue you don’t have to spend long hours and bottomless resources on. globaleyez has got you covered.

 

 

Brand protection strategies for new markets

Your IP rights are amongst your biggest assets in any country. Therefore, it’s important to register them in your new market as early as possible. This way, you get a legal basis for protection and a head start on fraudsters who’ll try to infringe on your rights.

 

 

AI-generated illustration of a person filling out a form

 

 

But it’s not enough to simply register your IP rights, you also have to monitor them to catch potential infringements. Our services, especially marketplace and image monitoring, are perfect for detecting fraudulent use of your invaluable IP rights.

 

With our state-of-the-art in-house software tools traxster and infrimage, we’ll quickly sweep the internet and discover product listings, pictures, ads, webshop offers and any other fraudulent web content infringing on your IP rights.

 

Content like this is very harmful for your brand, which is why it’s important to remove it from the internet as soon as possible. Our sustainable enforcement service will do just that and more. Because guess what? Fraudsters rarely quit after their content is taken down. In fact, they usually repost it after a while. Therefore, we take our service one step further and periodically check back to eliminate reappearing infringing content.

 

 

Related topics

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Choosing local business partners is often the easiest and most cost-effective way to establish your brand in a new country. But how do you know how trustworthy your prospective business partners are? (By the way, this issue is true of any new business partner, regardless of where they are based.) That’s why we developed our partner compliance service: we conduct thorough background checks to help you choose the best partners both abroad and home.

 

 

| It’s advisable to choose local business partners

 

 

Supply chains and distribution channels have to be tight and transparent to ensure that no products get lost and end up in harmful grey markets. The longer the chains, the more vulnerable they become. Technologies like blockchain are perfect for monitoring your suppliers and distributors alike.

 

Finally, let’s take a moment to think about your brand’s omnichannel presentation. Regardless of the adjustments and tweaks you may have to make before a market entry, your brand identity should remain the same throughout. But that’s easier said than done, considering the multitude of channels and outlets you’re appearing on.

 

 

Illustration of omnichannel commerce with icons representing physical and online stores

 

 

The best way to remain true to your identity is to ensure a consistent brand presence across all of your sales channels. Thanks to our clean marketplaces solution, you can achieve just that. With specialised monitoring and enforcement, we’ll systematically weed out infringing content that harms your IP rights and ensure that your brand has a consistent presence true to your identity.

 

 

| Ensure a consistent brand presence across all your sales channels

 

Since we’re talking omnichannel, it’s important to note that protection measures in offline and online environments need to be integrated. globaleyez has a proven track record in such integrations, and we’re happy to assist you with tailored solutions that perfectly fit your brand’s needs. For example, our fast and effective test purchases in over 50 countries are essential for learning as much as possible about the origins of an infringing product, and uncovering hidden links between seemingly independent cases of fraud.

 

 

Successful international expansions with brand protection

Let’s take a look at a few cases where brands have successfully protected their IP rights while entering new markets.

 

German fashion retailer Zalando is currently available in 25 countries. The company knows the value of its brand and took the time to register its IP rights in prospective markets. This allowed them to start their market entry on a strong basis, and gave them ample protection from infringement and imitation right from the start. Thanks to the consistent monitoring and enforcement of their rights, Zalando has successfully countered infringement attacks and established trust with their customers.

 

| Zalando registered its IP rights in prospective markets

 

Founded in 2011 in Germany, HelloFresh is today one of the most popular meal-kit delivery services available in 18 countries. Like Zalando, HelloFresh took the time to register its trademark in its target countries before expansion, which allowed them to focus on their core tasks during the turbulent times of market entry. Ever since then, HelloFresh actively protects its brand through monitoring and enforcement, which builds authenticity and trust amongst consumers.

 

 

Conclusion

Expanding into a new market can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. Let us take the protection of your IP rights off your endless to-do list so you can concentrate on the core tasks your market entry.

 

Contact us and let’s discuss how to build a tailor-made online brand protection programme for your brand!