Counterfeit products are more prevalent than you might think. From common medicines to designer handbags, almost every category of popular products and top brands become targets of counterfeiting. The good news is we now have effective weapons to detect them easily. And artificial intelligence provides the raw materials for those weapons. With rapid progress in artificial intelligence software development, the fight against counterfeits is more powerful than ever. In this post, we will discuss how AI is helping businesses and consumers to detect fake products in different ways.
As fake products become universal across categories, we need prompt and accurate ways of detecting them. Online retail titans like Amazon and Alibaba launched major initiatives to stop potential listings of counterfeits on their websites. This global battle has also prompted startups focused on fighting counterfeits. For instance, Entrupy, a New York-based AI startup builds AI-enabled cameras to detect counterfeit products.
AI-powered image analytics
Image analytics equipped with artificial intelligence makes it easier to verify authentic products. For example, DataWave, a Washington-based company, uses deep machine learning to eliminate counterfeits from eCommerce websites. Such solutions are incredibly crucial whether you run an eCommerce development company or an online retail store. DataWave’s solution is trained on millions of catalog images of products across categories.
The counterfeit-detecting solution relies on an algorithm to compare images. The solution also uses text information to augment is the detection process. According to DataWave, the solution has substantially improved the capability of counterfeit detection.
The combined power of AI & blockchain
A counterfeit designer handbag could cause loss of money to the customer while significantly damaging the reputation of an online retailer. Whereas a counterfeit drug could put consumers’ lives at risk. That’s why detecting fake products is so important. Technology companies and retailers around the world are now combining AI with blockchain to ramp up counterfeit detection. Blockchain has already made significant inroads as tools for business communication.
Artificial intelligence software development leader IBM has blended blockchain with AI and imaging to verify authentic products. The company’s Crypto Anchor Verifier leverages ML, neural networks, and video analytics to detect counterfeits. The solution analyzes the properties of products to identify whether it’s authentic or fake. The AI-powered software relies on a staggering amount of data collected from genuine products. The solution can also run on smartphones, making it easy-to-use and cost-effective.
We have known the role of blockchain in eCommerce for a while now. When it comes to detecting fake products, ledger technology acts as a flawless tracking device. Manufacturers use blockchain solutions to track the movement of their products, beginning from the plant to warehouses and retail stores. That way finding out fake products becomes easier.
Blending AI software with hardware
Tech startups are also using the concerted power of sensors and AI software to create effective ways of hunting counterfeits. The AI startup Neurotags, for instance, built AI-enabled hardware that enables customers to verify a product’s authenticity. It uses a hidden tag on products that customers use to get information about the product’s authenticity.
The solution helps customers to identify a genuine product. It also eliminates the potential listing of counterfeit products on an eCommerce website. The continuous advancement in technologies like IoT, ML, and blockchain can further enhance counterfeit detection capabilities. Businesses and customers are likely to equally benefit from more widespread use of such solutions.
Verifying authentic customer reviews
Customer reviews are effective ways of knowing the quality and authenticity of products sold in online stores. Since fake reviews are universal, identifying authentic reviews is critical for customers and retailers alike. This method works both ways. While it verifies authentic reviews, AI-based capabilities can also flag suspicious customer reviews. Retailers can promptly eliminate such reviews and products from their stores. Amazon and Alibaba are already using AI-enabled tools to authenticate customer reviews.
Counterfeit detection in eCommerce
As noted earlier, eCommerce giants are taking innovative measures to avoid inadvertent sales of counterfeits. However, many small and medium eCommerce operators are increasingly becoming vulnerable ton counterfeits. High-end detection technologies might not be always feasible for such retailers. They need retail solutions that are designed to prevent counterfeit products.
Smaller eCommerce operators need to seek expert advice about how to tackle the issue of counterfeits. For instance, at OrangeMantra, an eCommerce development company, we provide AI consultancy and solutions to small and medium businesses. We use the most advanced breed of AI, ML and blockchain to build efficient tools to detect counterfeit products.
Wrapping up
As the world battles with the coronavirus pandemic, products like fake N95 masks have become superfluous. Both online and brick-and-mortar businesses need to ensure the authenticity of their products. They need to ensure the integrity of their supply chain to maintain business reputation and reliability. OrangeMantra is committed to helping businesses of all kinds and sizes maintain their reputation and profitability. With a vast experience in eCommerce and AI solutions development, we know what solutions suits your business.
FAQs
Q. What are counterfeit products?
Counterfeit products are fake or unauthorized replicas of a real product, usually made by a top brand. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product and its reputation.
Q. How AI can help to detect counterfeit products?
AI technology can be customized to autonomously detect low-cost, high-volume counterfeit goods on eCommerce websites. By analyzing materials, color, packaging, and other key attributes, AI helps keep counterfeits products away from the digital marketplaces.
Q. What is a blockchain?
A blockchain is a mechanism for creating a distributed ledger. The technology is distributed in this sense means that multiple parties can participate, view, and audit the data contained within the network.
Q. How much does it cost to build an AI solution to detect counterfeits?
The development cost for building an AI solution to detect counterfeits mainly depends on your requirements. If you need a basic AI software with limited requirements, the cost will lower. More sophisticated AI-enabled detection tools usually cost higher. OrangeMantra offers feature-rich AI and blockchain solutions at competitive prices.
