As Amazon continues rapid expansion, the online behemoth has been forced to deal with an influx of counterfeit products. A recent CNBC article discussed a new service the company is offering aimed at combating the sale of unauthorized product. The article focused on Wee Urban, a children’s apparel company that suffered an 80% plunge in sales last year due to copyright infringement. Last month, the owner received an email from a senior business development manager at Amazon inviting her to test Transparency.
Transparency creates unique codes that can be used to see details of a product’s origin, including manufacturing date and location. Some products offer additional information pertaining to materials or ingredients used. The unique QR codes can be scanned with the Amazon app on mobile devices. This service will come in handy as Amazon ventures into pharmaceuticals, as drug manufacturers will likely integrate their own serialization strategies with Transparency.
