In an effort to decrease counterfeit goods, which make up between five and seven percent of world trade according to the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong’s dominant duty-free retailer Nuance-Watson has launched an authentication kiosk at the Hong Kong Airport.
Part of a wider government initiative called BarcodePlus—a portal for Hong Kong consumers to find product quality and safety information—the authentication kiosk allows customers to scan the labels of their purchases and verify the item’s authenticity by revealing its supply chain history. Since fake medicines are of particularly acute concern to regulators, says Springwise, the authentication kiosk is currently focusing on pharmaceutical products.
Phony Product Scanners
Hong Kong Airport Releases the Nuance-Watson Authentication Kiosk
Trend Themes
1. Decreasing Counterfeit Goods - The trend towards decreasing counterfeit goods through authentication kiosks presents disruptive innovation opportunities for product safety and security companies.
2. Barcode Verification - The trend towards barcode verification through authentication kiosks presents disruptive innovation opportunities for retail companies to increase consumer confidence in their products.
3. Supply Chain Transparency - The trend towards supply chain transparency through authentication kiosks presents disruptive innovation opportunities for logistics and transportation companies to implement new technologies and improve traceability.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - The retail industry could benefit from implementing barcode verification through authentication kiosks to increase consumer confidence in their products.
2. Pharmaceutical - The pharmaceutical industry could benefit from implementing authentication kiosks to verify the authenticity of medications and increase product safety.
3. Logistics and Transportation - The logistics and transportation industry could benefit from implementing authentication kiosks to improve supply chain transparency and traceability.