How to Safeguard Your Supplements When Selling on Amazon

With the reach and scope of the Amazon marketplace increasing with each passing year, the authenticity of products is becoming a massive concern for both customers and third-party sellers (ethical brands).

Fake products, poorly created products, or counterfeits are rampant in marketplaces where it is not easy to police third-party sellers. It has the potential to spell doom for honest business owners that are trying to establish themselves legitimately and unassuming consumers that are looking for reputable products at reasonable prices.

From phone chargers and football jerseys to perfumes and sneakers, virtually no product type or segment that isn’t vulnerable to this - and dietary supplements are no exception to the rule. However, there are some things that dietary supplement brand owners can do to protect themselves from being counterfeited and to give their customers peace of mind when purchasing their products.

In this article, we’ll look at the concept of anti-counterfeit packaging and how you can safeguard your supplement products while selling them on Amazon.

What is Anti-Counterfeit Packaging?

The rise in and widespread availability of counterfeiting technologies has challenged packaging design companies to create innovative solutions that promote brand protection and product security.

Anti-counterfeit packaging refers to the technology that helps authenticate a product's genuineness to offer product and brand security while also safeguarding customers and businesses from the effects of counterfeiting.[i]

How Can You Protect Your Supplement Brand and Its Products When Selling on Amazon?

When it comes to nutritional supplements, the risks that counterfeiting poses are even higher because you are talking about potential health hazards, false information, and unsubstantiated claims.

While doing everything in its power to prevent counterfeiting, Amazon has sought to avoid any legal liability for counterfeit products sold on its platform. In 2013, a pillowcase maker had tried to sue Amazon over duplicates sold by other businesses on the platform. However, the courts ruled in favor of Amazon, saying that the sellers of the counterfeits were the ones who were to be held liable.[ii]

This landmark case serves as a reminder that the responsibility lies with you as a brand to ensure that you do everything you can to ensure product safety by leveraging anti-counterfeit packaging solutions.

Anti-Counterfeiting Packaging and Labeling

As a supplement brand owner, it is natural that you are concerned about counterfeit products capturing your market share and potentially ruining your reputation among customers. It makes it vital for you to collaborate with an experienced contract manufacturer who can help you create high-quality supplements and offer anti-counterfeiting product packaging and labeling services.

With over 120 years of nutraceuticals industry experience, NutraScience Labs is a leading contract manufacturer in the United States. We offer award-winning dietary supplement production solutions along with supplementary services like labeling and packaging.

Here’s a quick look at some of the anti-counterfeiting packaging and labeling solutions we offer:

Flexographic printing

Holographic foil – Utilizing this option provides individual sealing of each product, which gives a consumer the impression that they are the first person coming into contact with it. The unique pattern the holograph displays is difficult for counterfeiters to duplicate.
Custom QR codes – We can design scannable codes that take your customer to a website to verify that the product is genuine. Be advised that this option requires a lot of backend work, including building a database of all the products for verification.

Digital printing

Microtext
- Printed copy that needs a magnifying glass to be viewed. It appears as a line or part of the graphic to the naked eye.
- Microtext can be printed in variable data or static copy, depending on your needs.
- This is the simplest security-feature solution that most clients prefer.

Invisible ink
- Invisible yellow and blue ink that is visible only under UV light.
- The invisible ink promises approximately 3 years of visibility.
- It can be printed in variable data or static copy for security or promotional purposes.

Micro 2D barcodes
- Micro 2D barcodes are four times smaller than standard product barcodes.
- The size of the barcodes makes it easy for you to blend them into the label design.
- These barcodes are primarily used for encoding data (for verification and traceability).

Guilloché
- This option features a high-resolution pattern of thin and colorful lines.
- These intricate patterns are extremely difficult to reproduce.
- It can be printed in an unlimited number of patterns using Kaleidoscope variable image technology.

About Amazon’s Project Zero

Amazon’s latest initiative, designed to suppress the sale of counterfeits, is referred to as Project Zero. Launched in 2019, the company’s objective is to ensure zero counterfeit products through this endeavor by using technologies and solutions like:

AI-based monitoring: This involves the continuous automated scanning of various product listings to detect any suspicious products.
Product serialization: Brands can apply a unique code on every SKU that Amazon scans to confirm the product authenticity, helping detect and prevent counterfeiting of products before they reach the consumers.
Self-service portal: Amazon has also introduced a self-service tool that brands can use to not just report, but directly eliminate any counterfeit listings on the marketplace.

As a part of Amazon’s anti-counterfeiting and intellectual property (IP) policy, the Amazon Counterfeit Crime Unit (ACCU) is an international squad in charge of investigating and taking legal action against counterfeiters and protecting the interests of consumers and third-party sellers or brands.[iii]

Here’s a handy guide on what you need to know when selling supplements on Amazon to get you started.

If you are looking for award-winning packaging and labeling solutions, look no further! NutraScience Labs can help you manufacture a stellar supplement product and offers a variety of anti-counterfeiting packaging and labeling services. All you need to do is request a free price quote to get started!*

*Please note that you must manufacture your supplement product through NutraScience Labs in order to take advantage of our packaging and labeling services. We do not offer “a la carte” packaging and labeling services at this time.

References:

[i] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/12/24/2150362/0/en/Insights-on-the-Anti-Counterfeit-Packaging-Technologies-Global-Market-to-2028-by-Type-End-use-Industry-and-Geography.html

[ii] https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-expands-project-zero-anti-counterfeit-program-bezos-cited-antitrust-hearing/

[iii] https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-project-zero-launches-seven-new-countries