Smartphone App to Help Consumers Identify Counterfeit Products
Kenya’s health sector is among the most infiltrated with counterfeit products. Sex enhancing drugs popularly known as Viagra, condoms, morning after pills are just a few among pharmaceutical products that are highly counterfeited.
During the launch of a report dubbed Consumers Going Digital, it emerged that some of the most counterfeited brands in the market have the potential of causing adverse effects on users, including death.
“Counterfeiting is a big problem worldwide. Kenya loses about Sh100 billion in revenue and the problem is growing,” Peter Massawa, CEO Brandmark Safety Global.
Read: Anti-Counterfeit Agency Nabs Fake Masks Worth Ksh21 Million
Brandmark is an app designed to curb counterfeiting across various markets in the world. Massawa said that shoes, clothes, handbags etc are more counterfeited in Western countries compared to alcohol, juices and water in Africa.
“Those are the products that are in demand generally and counterfeited in a big way because the sex industry is big,” he said.
According to a consumer survey commissioned and made public in 11 countries by the Kenya Consumers Organization, 72 percent of the respondents had purchased a counterfeit product unknowingly.
“Counterfeiting means the product has no active ingredient or little active ingredient, or end up putting excess ingredients…” he said.
Read: Police Officer Charged For Being In Possession of Counterfeit Excise Stamps
According to Massawa, counterfeiting in Kenya is run by cartels who have infiltrated the distribution chain.
Brandmark’s anti-counterfeiting technology helps manufacturers solve the problem of unfair competition, loss of revenue and damage to their brands.
“Brandmark is an app that is easy to use, secure and customisable. It can spot even the smartest counterfeit. It can be personalised for every brand while ensuring the highest functionality” he said.
The app is designed with security icons, serialized machine-readable ID code, abel-tamper evident and trial back-end system access.
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