Title: True love has no place for Counterfeits: Counterfeit Gifts can ruin your Valentine Day!
Writer: Tom Muteti - Head of Public Communications, ACA

February is ballyhooed as the month of love with the climax day being the Valentine’s Day. It is time when lovebirds and sweethearts express their love by gifting each other and engaging in other romantic gestures to expresses care and love in their relationships. But the same love can be destroyed by a counterfeit gift!

Valentine day happening every February 14th is associated with Pope Pegasus declaration in the 5th Century in memory of a priest named Valentine who was killed by Emperor Claudius II for defying him and going into an outlawed marriage during war.

In the 19th Century, commercial interests came in to play and derailed the original purpose of the day from being a “Martyr love day’ with “simple acts of love that can go a long way”. to a day with an innate anxiousness to spend money buying expensive and luxurious gifts as an expression of love. In this social media showbiz era, blessed are they who celebrate Valentine day by communicating class, premiership and exorbitance.

Capitalists whether in the hospitality industry, gift shops or online merchants look forward to making maximum sales possible. According to a survey by the Mastercard’s on Kenya’s Love Index; “the number of transactions on hotels in Kenya rose by 65 per cent from 2017 to 2019 as against 22 per cent globally, putting hotels at the top of the wish list for Kenyans in the lead up to the most romantic day of the year.

Kenyans spend their valentines on food and beverages including alcoholic beverages, buying expensive gifts like colognes and fragrances, jewels and ornaments, expensive flights and trips to treat their loved ones. A survey in 2016 by TIFA Research found that Kenyans intended to spend an average of Ksh1,650 on gifts for that year's Valentine's Day with men showing a higher intention of spending more than women.

Underneath this February commercial enterprise, criminals dealing with counterfeit and illicitly traded products are on the prowl looking for ways to join and make a kill out of this ready market.

According to the National Baseline Survey on Counterfeit and other forms of illicit trade in Kenya, the size of illicit trade was estimated at Ksh826 billion in 2018 up from Ksh726 billion in the year 2017, a rise by 14%.

From the same survey, the biggest form of illicit trade was found to be counterfeiting accounting for 9-10% of illicit trade translating to a value between KES 90B – KES 100Billion annually. With the worst-hit sector falling under the Energy, Electrical and Electronics (15%), Textiles and apparels (14%) which fall under the gifting category.

Counterfeit products not only deny the genuine company sales of genuine products, they lower the brand affection and reputation due to the customer experience of buying a counterfeit product. Some counterfeits like alcohol beverages are known to cause great harm and even can resort to death. Prevalence of counterfeit and illicit trade in the country can discourage investments and it has a potential of slowing down economic growth which relies on investment growth.

Counterfeit products are known to cause serious health and safety risks. They expose manufacturers & governments to revenues losses in sales and taxes. It is important therefore for consumers insearch of gift items to be on the lookout since counterfeit products can threaten the health and safety of their loved ones.

As you go ahead to celebrate this year’s Valentine's Day with our loved ones, avoid buying gifts from un authorized retailers and unverified e-commerce platforms that have recently became conduits of counterfeiting. Be on the lookout for packaging that may mislead and confuse to look like genuine. Avoid greatly discounted products since cheap is expensive.

The same way counterfeit and illicit trade can destroy a flourishing economy, the same way a counterfeit gift can destroy genuine love!

Let's “Uphold Authentic Love” and “Say No to Counterfeits”. Happy valentines!