E-commerce sales in 2014 in Brazil should grow by 27% in relation to 2013 and reach almost R$ 40 billion. The number of consumers could overtake the 63 million mark by the end of the year. In the first half of 2014 alone 5,060,000 new consumers used shopping websites for the first time in the country.
The boom in Brazilian electronic commerce presents new challenges to holders of registered trademarks: in addition to cybersquatting, phishing and online impersonation - "classic" methods of infringement in the digital environment, companies now have to deal with the growing offer of counterfeit products in shopping and online auction sites. If the monitoring of these websites, social networks, and search engines was considered desirable before, it has now become a truly indispensable strategy in the development and protection of trademarks in the digital age.
In addition to the monitoring of the virtual market, brands have to always position themselves one step ahead of the competition offered by the offenders: the offering of customized content to consumers, the development of exclusive products or services, and versatility in the method that the trademark is presented to the market on the Internet are means of seeking the so-called dematerialization of consumption.
The idea is to develop a relationship between the trademark and its consumers that promotes loyalty and the offering of a consumption experience that the offender can never provide.
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