Is your counterfeit protection outdated?
Why holograms & traditional QR codes just won’t cut it any more
Various sources estimate the economic cost of global counterfeiting at anywhere between $1.7tn and $2.8tn. Whatever the precise figures – there’s no doubt this a monumental problem that many businesses are falling short in tackling. If your brand still relies on measures such as holograms or QR codes for protection, it’s time for a critical reassessment of your security strategy.
What’s wrong with holograms and traditional QR codes?
Criminal practices have evolved to undermine hologram technology, a once effective measure against counterfeiting. Their distinctive visual properties, coupled with the difficulty involved in reproducing them made them viable deterrents. But increasingly sophisticated printing technologies have made hologram replication easier and rendered them more vulnerable.
Similarly, the QR code was once an accessible way to authenticate a product’s quality and validity, via a smartphone scan. But these are even simpler than holograms to replicate, for today’s most adaptable fakers and forgers.
As such, yesterday’s leading edge security measures are becoming increasingly obsolete in the face of evolving counterfeiting practices.
What can I use instead?
By harnessing the power of unpredictability, Quantum Base has pioneered the next generation of anti-counterfeiting measures. Our Q-ID® technology creates a fundamentally unclonable security feature at an atomic level. At this scale, the uncertain properties of quantum physics are applied to create signatures that are physically impossible to predict, never mind copy. These quantum signatures aren’t vulnerable to reverse engineering in the way that traditional security features are. And they can still be authenticated instantly via most smartphones, enabling quick and easy identification.
Will I need to change my manufacturing/production processes?
Quantum security tags can be added to product labels or packaging – or even directly onto items. This easy integration into existing manufacturing processes means that little disruption is required to introduce the feature. And, of course, no need to overhaul your processes means lower costs of introduction – especially when balanced against the alternative. Changing nothing and continuing with holograms and/or QR codes is only likely to hurt your business and make you an easier target.
Discover how Q-ID® is applied across different industries in our use case examples.
Want to learn more?
If you’re ready to introduce new, robust security measures to significantly improve your product protection, we can help. The time of QR codes and holograms as a reliable deterrent is over – but powerful alternatives are available.
If you’d like to know more, please get in touch today.
