Global ecommerce and marketplace accelerator, Pattern has released new functionality in its ecommerce acceleration platform in Australia to help retail brands identify unauthorised resellers of its products on marketplaces including Amazon and eBay.

The new protection layer allows brands to understand how many marketplace sellers are selling its products, and who they are – the brand itself, authorised resellers or unauthorised resellers.

Pattern Australia general manager, Merline McGregor said, “As marketplaces continue to grow in popularity, global and local Australian brands could potentially stand to lose millions of dollars if they don’t have a strategy for identifying and taking action against unauthorised sellers of their products on marketplaces.

“However, tracking down unauthorised resellers can be a complex and time-consuming task for already stretched brands, especially if done manually. That’s why Pattern has developed automated software that can help identify unauthorised sellers in real time and this feature is now available to Australian brands selling on Amazon.”

An unauthorised seller can be any third-party reseller who does not have an official link with a brand, or a global seller selling from overseas, who lists and sells the brand’s products on a range of online marketplaces. Not only do they sell a brand’s products without authorisation, but they often list incorrect product or brand information, resulting in a poor customer experience.

“The new protection layer within Pattern’s ecommerce acceleration platform delivers brands an enhanced understanding of those selling its product on Amazon Australia. It allows brands to not only identify unauthorised resellers but also drill down to how much inventory each seller has, giving brands greater visibility, and therefore knowledge on how big their unauthorised reseller issue is,” McGregor added.

“Importantly, the new protection feature is already making its mark in the Australian market, having traced an estimated $2.5 million worth of potential unauthorised marketplace sales within or into Australia for one of our global footwear brand customers.”