Ethical Data Handling: Protecting Your Brand

On this episode of Ethical Data, Explained by SOAX a project manager, tech, and lead solutions architect, but currently, the head of Technology at Brand Guard startup Adolfo Hoyos joins the discussions with Henry Ng about the common mistakes in e-commerce data handling and tips and tricks to protect brand reputation.

Avoiding the Common Mistakes in E-commerce Data Handling

In terms of storage and handling of data, the key mistakes that e-commerce sites make are:

• Taking private data from users.
• Making that information visible to other users in any way.
• Sharing overall metrics about customers with other users.
• Hiding data behind terms and conditions.

Expert Tips for Overcoming Malicious Actors, MAP Violators, and Gray Market Threats

The term "malicious" is subjective and what may be considered malicious by one party may be benevolent to another. Thus, the Brand Guard that eliminates undesired sellers from marketplaces may be seen as malicious by the sellers but is seen as necessary by the company to protect the brand and enforce policies.

Therefore, there are some general tips to help minimize the damage from malicious actors and other online threats:

1. Be cautious about what information you post online, especially on public websites.
2. Assume that everything you post online could be public and accessible to anyone.
3. Be careful about what you upload.

With resellers, such as map violators and gray market sellers other issues can arise. The severity of these issues depends on the brand and the strength of its map policy and supply chain management. When brands have strong policies and enforce them with all sellers and resellers, they can prevent supply chain leaks and maintain control over their map price and product quality. Authorized sellers can also provide warranties and easy returns for customers, which can be affected by supply chain leaks. Overall, having strong policies in place can help brands maintain control over their products and pricing.

There are some tips for a company that helps brands build reseller policies and strategies to combat gray market sellers:

1. Draft agreements with resellers and distributors to establish clear expectations and guidelines for how products can be sold and distributed. By having a written agreement in place, the company can ensure that its resellers and distributors understand and adhere to these policies.
2. Web scraping tools are not an ethical problem as long as the data being gathered is public and not behind a specific access for a user. So, the utilization of AI and web scraping automation tools to check for possible Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) violators or unauthorized sellers help to maintain the authorized seller network.
3. Multiple access levels, subdividing access levels into teams, and providing users with access levels ensure that user data are managed responsibly.

For more info on Adolfo Hoyos and the story behind Brand Guard, welcome to the official podcast webpage.