How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Are Helping in Anti-Counterfeiting?

Recently, you got a great deal on eyeliners, mascara, and other makeup products from an ongoing sale. You were happy to get so many products at a discounted rate, but while trying them out, you see some noticeable changes. The makeup products smell different, and there’s even some color difference in the packaging. Upon closer inspection, you notice that it’s a counterfeit product, and you can only apply for an exchange from the online E-commerce store.

Now, we know how frustrating this situation can be. Counterfeit makeup, dresses, and other similar items can be upsetting. But, think about the counterfeit medicines and the side effects that they create when consumed by children. As per studies, around 24% of pharmaceutical products, including protein shakes and medicines, were counterfeits. It not only resulted in various health issues but also caused the death of more than  250,000 worldwide.

Companies have tried their best to find solutions to implement product authentication in the market, but counterfeits have copied every technique with extreme accuracy. With the exponential growth in technology, new anti-counterfeit solutions have emerged with promising results.

Lately, companies have been taking a keen interest in smart packaging solutionsthat assure the elimination of counterfeit products. But, what is smart packaging technology? What are the various types of intelligent packaging solutions that companies can acquire?

Smart Packaging Solutions

Unlike normal packaging, intelligent packaging uses technology for the entire process. With the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the packaging services can be improved significantly.

There are different types of smart packaging solutions that a company can use as per their requirement. What are they? Read on to find out.

One-Time QR Codes – Proof of Sale

QR codes can help you deal with counterfeit products easily. You can always hide your smart QR codes in the packaging so that counterfeiters cannot find them. Else you can also design a QR code algorithm that will immediately show a page stating that the product is “SOLD” whenever someone scans the code. This way you will immediately get details if someone is re-using your anti-counterfeit packaging for selling counterfeit products.

When you take such measures to protect your products and consumers from counterfeiters, it increases your brand value. Besides, it also spreads awareness amongst customers on how to identify real products and take stand against counterfeiters.

Talking about best anti-counterfeit solutions, we always recommend using smart QR codes as you can easily combine them with AI technology and get great results.

Machine Learning-Based Algorithm

When it comes to product traceability, the best solution is to implement ML-based algorithms in the products. The algorithm is designed to keep track of the frequency of scans, location of packages, etc. By installing unique product QR codes on bulk packages and setting up the algorithm for knowing the frequency of scans, one can easily know if there are any suspicious activities.

For example, say you are sending a bulk package of Lays chips to Maharashtra. You have installed a unique QR code on packaging, which the retailers and warehouses have to scan in order to feed the information into the track and trace system.

Let’s say some of the packages were stolen, and they are being sold in Pune. How would you know? The system alerts you about the sudden change in location from Mumbai to Pune and notifies you of suspicious activities.

Machine Learning is already being used in several sectors due to its versatility and accuracy. You can easily create a solid anti-counterfeitingblueprint by implementing the technology in QR codes.

AI-Based eFingerprint

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is the technology that is generally used while creating robots. But, what people don’t know is that AI can also help in brand protection by creating the most accurate anti-counterfeit solution.

How? By enabling eFingerprints for the products. Like every human being has different fingerprints, the packaging of each product will be different. Some minute details are quite invisible to the naked eye but can be caught by the AI robot.

You will get tons of benefits once you start using a hybrid system like this. It can easily update you about a product’s whole journey, alert you when a package re-enters the supply chain, enable traceability in the blink of an eye, and much more.

It is quite common for giant companies, like skincare and FMCG, to design extra packages in case of emergencies. Though they develop these surplus packages as an extra, most of the time they do not use it and they fall into the hands of counterfeiters.

What happens next is quite predictable. Counterfeiters use these surplus packages to fill their duplicate items and sell them at retail price to naïve customers.

But, with e-fingerprints, cosmetic companies can avoid such situations. As the hybrid system stores all package-related data, you will get immediate alerts if any of the packages goes missing.

Anti-Counterfeiting packaging was considered as a mythological weapon which was not available in the real world.

But technology made this myth a reality and gave it to marketers so that they can fight off the demons of counterfeiting.

Anti-counterfeiting helped companies save their identity, enable product authentication, and take a breath of relief from counterfeiters.

If you want to know more about smart packaging solutions, anti-counterfeiting technologies, or track and trace systems, then Sepio solutions is here for you. Contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be there for you within seconds.