While eCommerce growth has made apparel and fashion brands more accessible to consumers and has therefore increased revenue for many companies, there is no doubt that the rise in eCommerce has come with a rise in counterfeit apparel and fashion products. Trainers, sportwear and other clothing are among some of the most faked items, while luxury brands are most likely to be targeted by counterfeiters due to high demand and even higher profit margins.
Not only do counterfeits disappoint the consumer, they also cause significant damage to a brand’s reputation, disrupt supply chains and cost companies both revenue and consumer trust. In fact, in 2020 alone it was reported that ‘annual sales losses from counterfeiting in the clothing sector amounted to 26.3 billion euros.’ Meanwhile, it is estimated that around 20% of clothing advertised on social media is fake, suggesting a growing problem in our tech-orientated world.
To help tackle the rise in counterfeit apparel, we have created the world’s first quantum anti-counterfeit solution for apparel.
While most clothing and apparel brands may already adopt anti-counterfeit measures, counterfeit goods still slip through the net. Holograms, tags and labelling are all susceptible to being copied or faked.
Our Q-ID® Optical tags provide security at an atomic level, exploiting the inherent randomness of quantum materials to create a solution which cannot be cloned by counterfeiters. These unique identities, known as Quantum Signatures, can be integrated easily into any existing manufacturing process at a large scale. Able to be incorporated on swing tags, labels or the product these unique identities can be read by a standard smartphone camera empowering the consumer.
This allows the process of authentication to take place in just a few seconds, far quicker than many other counterfeit solutions. All you need to do to authenticate a product is download the Quantum Base app. This uses your smartphone camera to read the Q-ID® tag and provide all relevant product or brand information relating to your product. This process can be done by both brands and customers in real time and allows for brand and product authentication on a global scale.
According to some estimates, the trade in fake products is worth $600bn per year.
Such high levels of fake products in the supply chain creates a high loss of revenue for brands. Meanwhile, counterfeit products damage brand reputations and can ruin the exclusivity of certain brands or products, especially premium brands. Our anti-counterfeit solution can help to reduce this loss of income and brand credibility whilst protecting the consumer. Alongside these, you can also enjoy:
If you would like to learn more about how our Q-ID® tags can provide reliable anti-counterfeiting for your company, get in touch.