The global market for brand protection, anti-counterfeiting and security packaging components is forecast to grow during the period 2019–24 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% to $4.0 billion.

This reflects a situation where anti-counterfeiting remains an industry priority, but the focus of this battle is shifting away from the use of physical security features and anti- theft technologies – causing a challenge for the whole industry.'

The Future of Anti-Counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Security Packaging to 2024 identifies the following factors driving the industry today:

E-commerce outpacing overall retail sales growth - Globalisation and e-commerce continue to grow at an astounding rate. By 2022 it is expected that close to 20% of retail trade will be conducted online or via mobile.

Counterfeiting moves from offline to online - As e-commerce continues to gain ground, counterfeiters are changing their hunting grounds as with a recent shift from selling counterfeits via marketplace sites, such as eBay or Taobao, to selling via social media sites such as Facebook.

Increased stakeholder collaboration - Brand owners do not wish to carry the burden of brand protection/IP infringement all by themselves. Consumer education shared resources and shared action with government authorities are increasing and will become even more effective in the coming years.

From optical to digital - The brand protection industry is moving away from optical security features that are identical for each item to digital features that allow consumers and authorities to inspect the authentic integrity of each item throughout its production and distribution life, and that allow brand owners to interact with consumers (and vice versa).

Brand protection to IP protection- The landscape is shifting from brand protection conducted through product focused anti-counterfeiting features and security packaging, to intellectual property (IP) protection embodied in tracking, analysing and enforcing cases of online infringement.

Track and Trace - Track and trace technologies that enable a product’s status to be captured through the supply chain, and to retrospectively identify and verify its path; are the fastest growing area of this market.

Platforms technologies - In response to the broader definition of threats facing brand owners, suppliers are developing integrated platforms that allow brands to comprehensively address physical retail, supply-chain and online threats.

Holograms machine authentication - As the brand protection industry is moving from optical to digital authentication methods, and track-and-trace systems emphasise coded systems to create integrity in the supply chain, there is a market opportunity for holographic marks that can be authenticated automatically or via a smart device.

Alternatives to RFID and barcodes -Printed electronics systems use conductive, semi conductive, and/or dielectric ink to create a printed circuit board. There are a host of new applications enabled by printed electronics that were not previously viable using conventional electronics.

Consumer interaction - Brand owners regard smartphones as an essential medium to interact with their customers and is an increasingly important element both for law enforcement but especially for brands in the campaign against fake goods. There are significant differences exist depending on region, age group, education and income.

Smithers latest market report The Future of Anti-counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Security Packaging to 2024 provides exclusive data forecasts for anti-counterfeiting and brand protection features in packaging across 2014–24 with expert insight into the changing needs of this technology-driven sector

Notes for Editors            

The Future of Anti-counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Security Packaging to 2024 is available to purchase. For more information download the report brochure. 

For press enquiries or a more detailed article, please contact

Joanna Gibson:
Tel: +44 (0) 1372 802 037

jgibson@smithers.com