Quick Response Code-Based Fake Product Verification System Using Blockchain Technology

One of the most significant issues in today's retail business is product counterfeiting. Counterfeit goods are just low-quality imitations of legitimate brands. Many various methods have been used to combat product counterfeiting, including RFID tags, artificial intelligence, machine learning, QR code-based systems, and many others. Counterfeit items represent a substantial problem to industries and customers, resulting in economic losses, safety concerns, and trust issues, as well as certain drawbacks such as high processing power to execute operations security and centralized database. This paper suggests usage of decentralized blockchain technology, the SHA-256 algorithm, and quick response (QR) code to improve the identification of counterfeit products. The integration of blockchain technology and QR codes enables a transparent and decentralized system to verify the authenticity of products throughout the supply chain. The proposed system involves assigning unique identifiers to genuine products, which are recorded on a blockchain network. QR codes containing these identifiers are affixed to product packaging or labels. Consumers, retailers, or inspectors can easily scan the QR codes using a mobile device, retrieving the products unique identifier. The advantages of this blockchain-based solution include improved traceability, enhanced security, consumer empowerment, and supply chain efficiency. The challenges such as adoption barriers, technical complexity, scalability, and privacy concerns need to be carefully addressed during the implementation.