For a lot of people, designer clothing and products tend to have a hefty price tag. Often, designer clothing is considered as status symbols, and it will often have good quality that compensates for being expensive.
Socially speaking, most of these products that are created by these wealthy prestigious companies are also designed and geared towards a more luxurious target market. These products have a hefty price tag that is already reason enough for most individuals to buy them. Why is that? Well, most would say that buying luxury goods is already a sign of prestige and wealth in itself. In essence, most people purchase products for the sake that it’s expensive.
But even though these products target the elite, much of the capitalist society also wants to have their piece. However, most struggling classes’ problem is that they don’t have the necessary financial capabilities of affording such products. The reaction to these luxury goods is counterfeit consumer products that often imitate most of these authentic goods.
How Does It Affect Businesses?
But first, we have to know how these goods can affect the fashion industry. A few counterfeit products circulating the market shouldn’t be a problem, right? Well, it’s a larger problem than what most people think.
As of the moment, 7% of products that are in circulation around the world are counterfeit goods. Even though it’s usually high-profile brands and companies that target most of their counterfeit goods, small retail businesses will still need to be vigilant, especially when they start getting more attention from the public.
For years, fake counterfeit products have been plaguing much of the global economy. For many businesses, counterfeit items can severely tarnish a business’s reputation and can often lead to most customers becoming dissatisfied when they realize that the product they bought is fake. As such, it’s essential to tell the differences between what’s authentic and counterfeit before buying from suppliers.
Counterfeit versus Authentic: The Difference
Certain products are tough to tell what’s fake or authentic until you start looking for telltale signs on the internet. It might seem hard for the untrained eye to tell the telltale signs of a counterfeit product, but once you get a feel, it’s easier to tell.
Here are some telltale signs you should look out for:
Logos — Normally, the material used for logos is one of the most common signs of whether a product is authentic or not. In almost all official authentic products, the logos are meticulously crafted to have a perfect finish. If you’re looking for equipment that can easily print high quality and long-lasting logos on shirts and any apparel, you might want to consider investing in an insta graphic system. That works well with the merchandise.
Weight — The weight of the product can determine a lot of things. For instance, some sneakers are designed to be light-weight, so it’s easier to move around. But there will be shoes and sneakers that are unnecessarily “heavy” that might affect individuals’ movement. Although this might not be a clear give-away, it is something that most people will need to be suspicious of.
Bar code and QR code — Another sign that a product is authentic is if they have bar codes and QR codes. Most of the time, QR codes will redirect users back to the company/distributor’s official site. Nowadays, Nike’s sneakers will often have a QR code right at the tongue’s bottom side. That makes it easier to track if it’s authentic.
Proof of Authenticity — When most companies are aware that many counterfeit goods are being produced, proof of authenticity is an excellent way of removing any doubts that you might have regarding the product. At first, certificates of authenticity were originally for artwork, but companies have adapted to counter fake products.
There are different ways of telling how a particular product is fake or authentic. It can be challenging for the untrained eye to determine genuineness, but the biggest telltale sign is the product’s quality. Most cheaper “fake” products tend to have less quality than their more expensive authentic counterparts. For some products, such as sneakers and shoes, it’s harder to detect such changes unless the design is quite complicated.
What’s a great way of ensuring that you aren’t buying fake products? You can always go to a store that sells authentic products. Still, it’s essential to take a step back and do your research before making any final decisions. Often, reviews and feedback are great ways of knowing if a particular product is authentic.
