Photo: Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ralph Lauren Corp. on Tuesday launched Digital Product Identities, which enables consumers to use their mobile phones to verify the authenticity of Ralph Lauren merchandise.
By scanning the Digital Product ID on the product label, consumers can confirm whether their purchase is authentic, as well as learn about product details and receive styling tips and recommendations. For Ralph Lauren, the technology offers real-time visibility to track products from the point of manufacture and improve inventory management.
The technology, developed in a partnership with EVRYTHNG, a connected IoT platform, and Avery Dennison, is being phased into all Polo Ralph Lauren products. “The application of this technology means every Polo product will be ‘born-digital’ which represents a new milestone in data intelligence innovation in our sector,” said David Lauren, Polo chief innovation officer, in a statement.
The launch came the same day a CNBC investigation alleged that The RealReal luxury resale site has been selling counterfeit goods and failing to properly train those responsible for authentication.
Start-ups such as Blockverify, Cypheme and Red Points have been gaining attention for using artificial intelligence and/or blockchain and cloud-based services to fight counterfeiting.
Some newer startups include:
- Entrupy, based in New York, is an AI-powered app and handheld hardware solution that identifies counterfeit products. Specializing in luxury handbags with a 99.1 percent accuracy rating, Entrupy's program takes into account as many as 500 data points during the authentication process with a verification process taking four seconds.
- TruTag Technologies, an Emeryville, CA-based startup that raised $7.5 million in a funding round in October, makes microscopic, edible barcodes to authenticate pharma and food products. The barcodes are made from nano-porous silica, a material considered GRAS (generally recognized as safe) from the Food and Drug Administration, that can be placed directly on products or in packaging to track items through the supply chain.
- RedMarlin, a startup based in Los Altos, CA that announced a $10 million funding round on November 5, utilizes deep learning and computer vision, provides real-time monitoring and automates detection to immediately take down fraudulent sites.
- Ralph Lauren Corporation Unveils Digital Product Identities To Tens Of Millions Of Products – Ralph Lauren Corp.
- Entrupy Authentication Solution Selected for LVMH Accelerator – Women's Wear Daily
- Pangaea Ventures And Happiness Capital Invest In Trutag Technologies – Trutags
- RedMarlin, Deep Learning-Powered Fraud Prevention Company, Raises $10M In Series A Funding – RedMarlin/PRNewswire
- The RealReal’s shares plunge as poor training and tough quotas cast doubt on ‘no fakes’ pledge – CNBC
- Breaking the Fakes: How A New York Company Is Using A.I. To Crack Down On The Multibillion-Dollar Trade In Counterfeit Goods – Forbes