Context
According to a 2019 report by the OECD and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office, counterfeit and pirated goods makeup 3.3% of global trade. Businesses lose billions of dollars in revenue from fake products, but the damage can be far more extensive. Customers often confuse poorly made counterfeit or pirated goods with the genuine article and as a result, develop a negative perception of the real brand.
To combat this problem, a Switzerland-based company developed an innovative approach to protect businesses from fake products. However, their current solution lacked several key features, which would improve their system and enable large scale deployment. Team was approached by the company to bring their idea to life. Thanks to an effective communication, and solution specifications, Michael Spasenko as a Python software engineer helped them accomplish their goals.
Background
The Swiss company’s solution was using QR technology to protect both brands and the customers from piracy and counterfeiting. Their patented software created unique, serialized QR codes, which were then embedded into both digital and physical products or it’s packaging. This enabled authenticity verification, supply chain tracing, increased end-consumer engagement and loyalty by linking QR codes with product content, and it gathered valuable data to improve a business’ operations. However, the Swiss company lacked an API for smart SMS alerts and a simple but effective means of large scale deployment of their technology.
Goals
Michael’s objective was to develop a software solution, to streamline the process of large scale roll-out of QR-codes, create an API for SMS alerts, and integrate these features with their current system.
Solution
The most effective way to approach this project was to develop a cross-platform application using the Electron framework. This solution was chosen because it offered the client compatibility, longevity, and would seamlessly integrate with their existing interface. The backend was based on Node.js due to its scalability.
With the new system developed, the client was now ready to deploy their solution on a much larger scale easily. However, the placement of QR codes was only the tip of the iceberg. The Swiss company also required the ability to track products and provide smart alerts for status updates or anomalies. Michael and the team delivered an effective solution by implementing and debugging an API which seamlessly integrated with SMS services. Thanks to this feature, all critical product information could be easily tracked throughout the supply chain.
Tech stack
During the project, the following technologies were used to solve various challenges:
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DRF
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Docker
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Angular
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Electron
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TypeScript
Result
At the end of the project was created a solution that today positions itself as... “a platform for connected goods that helps companies depending on selling physical products in a connected world.” Together with the client‘s team, we turned an ordinary QR code into a tool of protection, tracking, customer engagement, and in general, a useful data point for each product in the entire brand portfolio.
