This session will provide an overview of Forrester’s first ever detailed study of brand manufacturers and their digital commerce strategies, including metrics and attitudes toward direct to consumer selling, marketplaces and their traditional wholesale businesses. The study also goes into depth about the adoption of and benefits related to econtrol and other brand governance solutions.

As eCommerce continually evolves, so do brands’ strategies for controlling the sale of their products on online marketplaces. More than ever before, brands must leverage unique marketplace and seller insights to make data-driven decisions, including where to focus eControl initiatives, which disruptive sellers to target, which tactics to employ, what budgets to invest, and more. Leading brands are using precision enforcement methodologies to drive ROI.

In this session, Whitney Gibson, chair of Vorys eControl, and Meera Butler, Vorys eControl lead data analyst, will detail new approaches to online marketplace challenges, present case studies, and introduce Vorys eControl’s newest m360 platform.

From unchecked liquidation practices, non-compliant distributors, to poorly planned pricing and promotions, many brands face obstacles preventing them from implementing an effective eCommerce strategy.  This panel will discuss these disruptive practices and the steps brands can take to make controlled eCommerce growth a reality.

All successful online sales programs have one element in common:  Change. Whether it’s changing your sales incentives, realigning relationships with legacy customers, rethinking your promotional strategies, or corralling a sprawling network of sellers, every stage of the online control process requires some level of internal change.  Colleen and Jackie will lead a panel of eCommerce innovators discussing what they‘ve learned from their own organizations about change-resistance;  getting stakeholder buy-in;  tips for tough conversations; and successful strategies for leveraging change management.

Success on Online Marketplaces depends on a variety of issues. And each of the major US online marketplaces operates differently. The best practices for promoting your brand and defending it against harmful actors varies depending on the marketplace at issue.

In this session, we will discuss the similarities and differences on how these marketplaces operate, as well as key strategies for success on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. Adam Sherman, of Vorys eControl, will moderate this panel with Amazon expert Lesley Hensell of Riverbend, Walmart.com expert Burke White of Brand3P, and eBay expert George Hatch of Pattern.  

In this session, we will devote 30 minute segments to exploring the individual components of eControl solutions in key international eCommerce markets, including Canada, Europe, China and Australia. We will review the commercial and legal landscape that your strategies must account for to drive profitable online sales growth in each region.

Achieving sales control and protecting your brand in the Age of eCommerce requires a holistic, comprehensive solution that encompasses a myriad of distribution management and seller enforcement tactics deployed by a cross-functional team of internal stakeholders, vendors, outside counsel, and technology providers.  These solutions present legal compliance considerations in many areas:  antitrust, distribution and commercial law, and consumer protection—just to name a few.  Identifying and managing these legal risks is essential to ensuring your company realizes the maximum return on its brand protection investment.  This panel of Vorys attorneys will share lessons learned from advising hundreds of companies on the legal issues that lurk within distribution management and brand protection initiatives, focusing on ways in-house counsel can overcome practical challenges to help business teams manage risk and achieve their commercial goals.

The rise of eCommerce has highlighted the many benefits of direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce sales channels and their potential to drive growth, prompting many brands to launch a D2C channel or reimagine how existing D2C channels fit into their overall go-to-market strategy.  While D2C channels often present low barriers to entry, they also bring a host of legal compliance issues in the areas of advertising, marketing, data privacy, retail website operations, and consumer protection.  John Landolfi, the leader of Vorys’ Consumer Products and Retail practice group, will share insights on the latest legal issues related to D2C sales and practical guidance on how brands can effectively manage legal risk while taking advantage of the unprecedented growth opportunities that are available when brands become retailers.  

If you knew everything about tomorrow, what would you do differently today? Consumer demand for a frictionless, personalized shopping experience, same day delivery, and product quality will require brands to tightly integrate supply chain, marketing, sales channels, data insights, and technology to execute. This session will focus on predictions associated with the convergence of physical and digital channels and the need for brand control to drive the ultimate consumer experience. Expert panelists will share their perspectives on the implications of all of this for brands today, and what you, as sales control evangelists, can do to help your company to think differently, prepare, and execute.