Authors: Anshika saxena, Ahmad Hussain Ansari, Lalit Chowhan, Ashutosh Vishwakarma, Gyanendra Maurya
Abstract: Counterfeit products continue to pose significant challenges for manufacturers, distribu- tors, and consumers worldwide. They contribute to revenue losses, erode customer trust, create safety hazards, and cause long- term brand damage. According to global trade reports, coun- terfeit goods account for billions of dollars in annual losses across industries, with pharmaceu- ticals, electronics, and consumer goods among the most affected sectors. Traditional methods of product authentication, including holograms, barcodes, and RFID tags, either lack robust security or remain too costly for large-scale deployment. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a Product Verification System that inte- grates QR codes with a MongoDB-based backend for efficient product traceability. The system architecture employs ReactJS for a user-friendly and modular frontend, Node.js with Express for secure API management, and MongoDB as a centralized, scalable database. At the point of manufacture, each product is assigned a unique QR code linked to its database record. Con- sumers can verify authenticity instantly by scanning the code with a smartphone, while manu- facturers and sellers gain real-time visibility into the supply chain.s Unlike conventional approaches, the proposed framework not only ensures authenticity but also supports analytics and reporting features, enabling stakeholders to monitor product dis- tribution, detect anomalies, and analyze consumer interaction patterns. This capability makes the solution adaptable for diverse sectors, including pharmaceuticals, electronics, and cosmet- ics, where transparency and safety are critical. The proposed system is cost-effective, scalable, and reliable, offering a practical balance between security and affordability. By leveraging accessible technologies such as QR codes and a flexible NoSQL database, it provides an imple- mentation pathway that is both technically feasible and industry-ready, making it suitable for mass adoption across global markets.In addition, the system introduces role-based access control (RBAC), ensuring that only authorized users such as administrators, manufacturers, and sellers can access or modify sen- sitive product information. The Admin Dashboard provides centralized control for managing users, viewing verification statistics, generating audit logs, and detecting counterfeit attempts through anomaly tracking. The Seller Module enables sellers to register genuine products and upload production details, while the Consumer The platform is further enhanced with real-time data synchronization, secure authentica- tion (JWT-based login system), and RESTful APIs, which maintain seamless communication between the client and server. Data integrity is preserved through encrypted QR code gen- eration and verification processes, while reporting and analytics tools assist manufacturers in monitoring sales regions, scanning frequency, and product lifecycle performance. Future scalability options include integration with blockchain networks to achieve im- mutable product records, AI-based anomaly detection for identifying suspicious activities, and cloud deployment for handling high- volume data operations. By combining robust backend design with modern frontend usability, this system delivers a holistic solution that bridges the gap between product authenticity, supply chain visibility, and consumer trust.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17529956
