Solutions · Drive sales
QR codes for product authentication.
Protect against counterfeiting and authenticate your products across the supply chain. One scan of the pack's own QR code confirms origin and authenticity, from a phone camera. No app needed.
01 / unique code · checked on every scan
02 — Why QR
Why use QR codes for product authentication?
Product to record
A QR code links a physical product to its own digital record.
One scan to confirm
Provenance, origin and authenticity, confirmed through a single scan.
For the whole chain
Used by manufacturers, suppliers and customers to evidence authenticity.
QR codes offer a robust and increasingly popular method for product authentication, directly addressing counterfeiting. The system works by linking a physical product to its own digital record.
03 — How it works
One code. One record. One answer.
- Step 01A unique code on every packEach code carries its own serial number and batch information, printed on the pack or the product itself.
- Step 02Scanned with a phone cameraA standard smartphone camera reads the code and goes straight to a secure authentication platform, run for the brand.
- Step 03Checked against the recordA genuine code matches a valid entry and shows its origin and manufacturing date. A duplicated or tampered code is flagged.
04 — Added protection
Prove it's genuine on the shelf. Prove it was recycled after.
Scan history
A code's scan history can raise the alarm: one code scanned many times in different places is a strong indicator of counterfeiting.
UV Tags
Pair the QR code with an invisible, GS1-standard tag, read at the recycling line. Proof the pack came back, at barcode level.
Explore Invisible UV Tags
My Brand Whiskey · Estd 2026
My Brand Whiskey · Small batch
Authentic product
Serial matched
SN 0042-7781-1903
- Distilled14 Mar 2026
- Bottled02 Sep 2026
- Shipped18 Sep 2026
05 — Affordable protection
Protection for every business.
Authentication also shows you where counterfeit goods may be entering the market, and builds trust with the people who buy from you. It is cost-effective to implement, and it runs on the smartphones your customers already carry.
06 — Platform
Built from these features.
Serialised Codes
A unique serial number in every code, so each pack is checked on its own.
Custom Domain
Every scan resolves on your domain, not a third-party link.
Scan Locations
See where and when each product is scanned.
GS1 Digital Link
One standard code, compatible with global supply chains.
The low cost of implementing QR codes coupled with the widespread adoption of smartphones makes QR code authentication a highly accessible and effective solution for safeguarding brand reputation and ensuring product integrity.
QR codes that meet GS1 standards keep your authentication to a global standard. As a GS1 partner, Polytag only uses GS1 approved QR codes.
09 — FAQ
Each pack carries a QR code with its own serial number and batch information. A phone camera scans it and goes to a secure authentication platform run for the brand, which checks it against the record: a genuine code shows its origin and manufacturing date, and a duplicated or tampered code is flagged.
Systems can track a code's scan history: one code scanned many times in different places is a strong indicator of counterfeiting.
Codes that meet GS1 standards keep your authentication to a global standard. As a GS1 partner, Polytag only uses GS1 approved QR codes.
It's cost-effective to implement, and it runs on the smartphones your customers already carry.