Order what you want at the comfort of your couch and have it delivered to your doorstep within a reasonable period; what’s not to like? Online shopping grows by the day due to its numerous advantages. As connectivity, especially with affordable Smartphones and other mobile devices, continue to grow online activity, eCommerce will keep hitting new highs. As a consumer, you no longer have to shop locally; you can buy from the largest brands across continents. This has also opened doors even for small brands, as they no longer have to compete for a small consumer base. While consumers enjoy an extensive pool of products and brands get to tap into a global marketplace, the online platform is not without a handful of challenges.

Among the most noticeable online shopping concerns is the rise of counterfeit products. Selling at a fraction of price counterfeits quickly win more business than genuine products. However, this doesn’t only hurt the brands; as a consumer, you could be hurt by the goods. They aren’t as effective as genuine products, meaning you won’t realize the same value you’d expect. In cases of products such as medication or food, you could even experience poisoning leading to side effects or even life-threatening reactions. Noting the adversities, brands, retailers, and to some degree, the consumers have to consider anti-counterfeit measures to lessen, if not eliminate, such products. Let’s look at some of the anti-counterfeit measures that can help curb the growing sale of phony products online.

Register your intellectual assets

The easiest online brand protection measure is ensuring that your intellectual assets are protected by the law. Registering your assets doesn’t just protect your brand; you’ll be contributing to the database that’s used by relevant authorities to crack down on offenders peddling counterfeit products. You can easily build credibility and protect your brand from such offenders, making it easier for your customers and authorities.

Go global

While fighting counterfeit sales online, concentrating on your local market is not an effective strategy. Unless your activities are restrained to a certain geographical area, thinking global is the way to go. This means employing anti-counterfeit measures globally as consumers anywhere can find, purchase, and use what your brand sells. Global anti-counterfeit measures help brands to establish the extent of the problem and, leveraging the same tech the offenders utilize, stop them on their tracks. Monitoring established global e-commerce platforms is an excellent starting point, but don’t discount other channels, including paid promotions.

A united front

Online brand protection is not a one-person fight. The easiest way to deal with the vice is by working with other brands and authorities. From advertising platforms, e-commerce platforms, among other players, fighting on a united front is effective than going at it individually. This includes fighting to ensure that offenders get legal consequences, not just blocking them, hoping they’ll wither away. Involve the authorities, have the offenders punished, and denounce such products. Denouncing counterfeits and ensuring offenders get punitive consequences makes your brand less attractive to such unsavory folks, boosting online brand protection efforts.

Consumer education

Without consumers, there’d be no one to support counterfeit sales online. Most consumers don’t realize they’re buying knockoff until it is too late. Consumer education is among the most effective anti-counterfeit measures; they’ll know what to watch out for, helping them fish out possible counterfeits. Most consumers only watch the prices, and while it is the largest red flag, it is not the only way to spot counterfeits. Instead of spending your entire online campaign budget on marketing, invest some in educating consumers. Informed consumers are a great tool; they flag and help brands expose counterfeit product sellers, ensuring they don’t flourish in the dark.

Eliminating counterfeits in the online market is not a cakewalk. Nonetheless, with effective anti-counterfeit measures, the issue can be managed to levels that don’t pose a significant threat.