Give the gift of authenticity

Even with lingering supply chain issues impacting store shelves and fears of a pending recession, 2022 holiday shopping trends suggest consumers are planning to spend more than $1,000 on purchases — a six percent increase over last year, according to a KPMG Consumer Pulse 2022 Holiday Shopping Survey Report.

Given the amount consumers are willing to part with for gift giving, it’s important to meet their needs. And brands can help buyers keep the happy in the holidays with assurances they are gifting authentic products and not counterfeit goods.

According to a recent Digimarc-sponsored survey, consumers said they want products — from fashion to food and beverage — that are real, safe, and effective. In fact, 67% of respondents said they worry about product authenticity when buying goods for their friends and family. Product authenticity and quality are important to consumers of all ages, just not in the same way or to the same degree.

Consider that 83% of Millennials care about the authenticity of luxury goods. Similarly, nearly 70% of Gen Zer's care about fake goods. When it comes to the authenticity of apparel, 79% of Boomers have concerns. However, less than two-thirds of Gen Zer's share the same apprehension.

It’s easy to see that consumers across age ranges have serious concerns about product authenticity and quality. So, when consumers discover they’ve purchased a fake or they learn that a brand they like has had issues with counterfeiting in the past, their perception changes.

Half of all consumers surveyed said they would not buy from a brand again if they bought something which later turned out to be counterfeit. Some 47% said they’d lose trust in a brand if they found out it had issues with counterfeiting and didn’t disclose the issue.

Those concerns are spread far and wide. Negative perceptions translate into reviews. Nearly half of the consumers said they are likely to trust reviews that vouch for the authenticity of a product. In fact, 59% of Millennials said they trust crowdsourced opinions.

How can brands combat counterfeiting and goods diversion to help ensure consumers have a holly, jolly holiday season? Invest in product digitization — technology that is key to achieving global and comprehensive visibility into products as they’re made, delivered, used, and recycled. This way the enterprise can ensure authenticity and traceability, maximize performance, and speed up innovation.

Digimarc brings a business' products to life so they can see everything about their products’ past and present — and make intelligent business decisions about the future of those products.

Most notably, Digimarc Validate protects your brand reputation by giving your packaging a digital presence connected to a cloud-based record of its journey. Now, you can prove your products’ authenticity, uncover counterfeits, and gain insight into your supply chain.

Give the gift of authenticity this holiday season. Get access to the complete survey results today and discover how Digimarc Validate can help your business.