Alibaba’s anti-counterfeit codes

Consumer goods giant Unilever has joined forces with Alibaba in a programme that aims to prevent counterfeits on the online retailer’s sites. The Chinese arm of Unilever has signed a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba that -alongside initiatives to expand distribution of consumer goods – will also see Unilever brands carry a new QR code-based technology that the company recently adopted to help fight counterfeits. The QR codes “will help consumers easily identify counterfeit products with [a] mobile app and provide a special shopping experience for the consumer” and will be added to Unilever’s products initially on a trial basis. The codes are being supplied by Visualead, an Israeli start-up in which Alibaba bought a minority stake earlier this year, and according to earlier reports be supplied to companies who request them at no cost. Unilever has had a dedicated storefront on Alibaba’s Tmall since 2011 and has since also started making use of the online retailer’s Tmall Global platform for sales outside China – but the new agreement calls for much closer cooperation between the companies both on- and off-line. The deal will result in expanded distribution channels – giving customers in rural China better access to Unilever products for example – and also see the two companies working on a ‘big data’ approach to advertising and driving sales.

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