Business is getting increasingly difficult, complained "the entrepreneur".
All this new advanced technology was killing his business idea, apparently.
"In the good old days, all was simple and profitable.
Our skilled scouts could just scan the big or innovative markets, the places and producers who innovate and create trends you know. They were the first in line to buy the new items of what they identified as up and coming.
When we got the samples, our clever guys picked them apart; items, manuals and software if any, to document exactly how they had done it. Then the engineering team took over to find the cheapest way to produce a look-a-like, but cheaper. Cheaper materials and components, removing everything that they won't notice until too late. As in "when we've gotten our money", that is. Or their money, rather.
They are magicians when it comes to making things look, feel and behave the same as the original.
Then we quickly set up production in the sweat shop and shipped through our usual channels and the money started rolling in.
But since these Swedish guys came up with this easy way of authenticating products, life has become so much harder. Now, anyone with the isAuthentic app can tell our stuff from the originals. And fast! No special skills needed. Just a smartphone and that darned app!
I don't understand how on earth they do it, but it seems to work. Not only for luxury goods, but for almost anything, it seems! Our stuff gets stopped before it reaches the resellers. I've lost track of how many times they've plugged the cracks where we used to infiltrate their supply chain.
If this continues I'll have to downgrade my lifestyle.
Is that fair, do you think?
Making it so easy for them to make difficult for me?"
Credits: Image from iStock Photo