Make Data Your First Line of Defense

As the saying goes, it’s a jungle out there. While the conveniences of modern life are many and varied, today’s consumers have a new barrage of hurdles to face as a result of digital transformation. Dangers such as data theft and counterfeiting pervade every corner of our hyper-connected lives, along with campaigns of misinformation and even shady data practices by our favorite social apps.

With all that said, every defensive step is one in the right direction. Consumers and brands alike can use all the help they can get, equipping themselves with the knowledge and tools to combat digital disarray. One such example is digital proof points, which help to ensure the authenticity and integrity of products as they make their way from one end of the supply chain to the other.

LocatorX is proud to help foster this “chain of trust” with its line of solutions, including LXConnect. If you’re involved in retail, logistics, manufacturing, or warehousing, we believe digital proof points are a form of supply chain optimization worth learning about and considering for your operation and its valued clients.

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What are Digital Proof Points?

At this very moment, millions of packages are zipping around the globe -- being scooped up, handed off, and mixed up en route to their final destination. It’s no great surprise when mishaps occur; in New York alone, 90,000 packages go missing on a daily basis. In some urban areas, nearly 15% of deliveries fail on their first attempt.

This does not take into account those packages that do arrive, but after some degree of suspicious activity. An untold number of products are wrongfully opened or altered. Counterfeits are a story all their own, with trillions’ worth of imposter products being bought and sold each year — many right on Amazon and other online marketplaces. The chances are greater than ever that your next pair of shoes or even your next bottle of medication is a ripoff.

It’s a jungle out there, indeed. And in too many cases, our health and security is at risk, alongside our finances.

What if suppliers could add a continuous layer of monitoring to their countless shipments? And what if customers could access the details upon receiving their orders, or even during the tracking process?

That’s where digital proof points come in.

Digital proof points are a fast-growing form of identity that can be used for any asset in your supply chain, from warehouse inventory shelves to buyer living rooms and everywhere in between. Using various digital technologies — such as QR codes and blockchain — these help to track events in a product’s journey, including any and all changes in location and ownership.

Upon items being scanned, each notable event is accurately logged onto a secure history file.

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Then, at any point, authorized individuals can view the records to verify that the product is as promised, and that it was safely guided along its intended journey — with no mysterious ownership, locations, or activities.

You can think of it as a product birth certificate and adoption certificate, safely stored and protected from outside modifications. Digital proof points are a boon for customers and internal teams alike, ensuring that our never-ending exchange and transport of goods survives the jungle of external factors.

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