Published May 10, 2021, 5:00 AM Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with protected intellectual property (IP) and positive branding strategies have defied store closures and revenue losses that marked the first pandemic year. At the recent Intellectual Property (IP) Grand Forum, Lazada Chief Operating Officer Carlos O. Barrera said the leading online shopping platform revealed this as the shift to e-commerce opened a gateway for greater interconnectivity, demanding more meaningful customer connections which effective brand protection and management could satisfy. “Over the course of the last year, we’ve had hundreds of thousands of MSMEs [transition to e-commerce] and we consistently see that those who are serious about IP, the ones who focus not just on selling and [giving] discounts, but the ones who focus on building a brand, delighting their customers, having very strong social media presence, having very clear branding… those really do much better,” said Barrera.