E-commerce sites are widely used to expand the reach of brands into broader markets. According to U.S. Census data, e-commerce sales peaked in the first quarter of 2020, likely due to the global pandemic that shut down businesses and required quarantining at home. While the pandemic forced consumers to overcome their hesitations of buying certain goods online like groceries, even after businesses reopened, consumers continued to buy online in record numbers. A review of the statistics released by Amazon shows there was an overall 15.3% increase of online sales from 2020 to 2021.

This explosive growth creates opportunities as well as challenges for brand owners. The expanding markets and growth in sales have benefited brand owners, but they have also brought unprecedented challenges, including increased sales of counterfeit goods, fake reviews, manipulation of algorithms affecting product placement and prominence, and the unauthorized sales of authentic goods, which is the focus of this article.