FAQ

Luxury brands have a unique data challenge: most of their product owners are invisible to their CRM. A Customer Data Platform designed for luxury solves this by capturing owner identity at the product level, not just at the purchase transaction level. What is a Customer Data Platform (CDP)? A Customer Data Platform is a software system that collects, unifies, and activates customer data from multiple sources, e-commerce, in-store POS, CRM, email, social, and more, to create a single, persistent customer profile. For luxury brands, a CDP is most valuable when it can capture not just direct buyers, but also owners of products acquired through channels where the brand has no direct customer relationship: wholesale, gifting, and resale. How does Trust-Place act as a CDP for luxury brands? Trust-Place's back-office aggregates data from the brand's ERP, PIM, and e-commerce systems, then enriches each record with the owner identity captured at certificate activation. This creates a unique owner profile linked to specific products, a far richer data layer than a standard CDP, which typically knows what a customer bought but not whether they still own it, or what happened to the product after a wholesale sale. The resulting owner database can be exported to the brand's existing CRM or marketing automation platform. What data does Trust-Place capture about product owners? • Owner identity: name and email address • Product activated: model, collection, SKU, production batch • Activation date and channel • Purchase invoice: proof of acquisition • Acquisition channel: retail, e-commerce, wholesale, resale, or gift • Ownership transfer history: every previous owner in the chain Combined with product master data from the ERP/PIM, this enables owner segmentation by product category, price tier, collection, geography, acquisition channel, and more. Can Trust-Place data be exported to Salesforce, HubSpot or other CRMs? Yes. Trust-Place's back-office includes CRM export functionality. Owner profiles and product activation data can be fed into the brand's existing CRM, Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe, Klaviyo, or bespoke systems, enabling the marketing team to activate Trust-Place owner data within their existing workflows and communications automation.

Luxury brands have a unique data challenge: most of their product owners are invisible to their CRM. A Customer Data Platform designed for luxury solves this by capturing owner identity at the product level, not just at the purchase transaction level. A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a regulatory and transparency tool, it documents a product's lifecycle, materials, environmental impact, and supply chain traceability. It is primarily designed for compliance, sustainability reporting, and end-of-life management, often mandated by legislation such as the EU Ecodesign Regulation. A Digital Certificate of Ownership, as delivered by Trust-Place, serves a fundamentally different purpose: it establishes and authenticates the relationship between a specific product and its legitimate owner. It links a unique product identifier (NFC chip, QR code, or engraved serial number) to the owner's identity and proof of purchase, secured via blockchain or encrypted servers. Where a DPP answers the question "What is this product made of and where does it come from?", a Digital Certificate of Ownership answers "Who owns this product, and is it authentic?", enabling anti-counterfeiting protection, seamless ownership transfer, and personalized post-purchase services. In practice, both can coexist: Trust-Place integrates DPP data provided by the brand or third-party actors (such as Fairly Made or Trustrace) and adds an "Activate my digital certificate" entry point directly within the DPP interface, turning a compliance touchpoint into an owned customer relationship.

The digital certificate of ownership transforms a one-time transaction into the starting point of a lasting relationship between a brand and its client. By activating their certificate, the owner officially enters the brand's ecosystem, creating a verified, first-party data relationship that brands can leverage across the entire post-purchase journey. This activation unlocks a range of loyalty-driving mechanisms: • Personalized experiences: brands can deliver tailored content, care instructions, styling advice, or exclusive offers based on the specific product owned, not generic segments. • Exclusive owner benefits: certificate holders can access members-only services such as priority repairs, product customization, limited edition drops, or VIP events, reinforcing a sense of belonging and privilege. • Authenticated resale and ownership transfer: when a product changes hands, the certificate transfers with it, keeping the brand connected to the product across its entire lifecycle and creating a new relationship with the second owner. • Trust and emotional attachment: owning a certified, blockchain-secured proof of authenticity deepens the perceived value of the product and the brand, particularly in luxury and premium segments where provenance matters. Unlike traditional CRM approaches that rely on purchase history alone, Trust-Place anchors loyalty to the product itself, making every owned item a permanent, active channel between the brand and its client.

Trust-Place was purpose-built for luxury and premium brands, with a fundamental conviction: the post-purchase moment is not the end of the customer journey, it is the beginning of the most valuable part of it. Several principles differentiate Trust-Place's approach • Product-centric identity, not just token issuance: Trust-Place links a unique physical identifier (NFC, QR code, or engraved number) to the verified owner's identity and proof of purchase, creating a certified, legally meaningful ownership record, not merely a digital collectible. • An intelligent back-office built for brands: beyond the certificate itself, Trust-Place integrates ERP and PIM data, a native CDP, and hyper-personalization engine, giving brand teams actionable client intelligence, not just a dashboard of activations. • White-label exclusivity: the client-facing experience is fully branded, delivered as a white-label web extension or mobile app. The client remains in the brand's universe, Trust-Place is invisible infrastructure. • Technology agnosticism: Trust-Place operates across EOS, Polygon, or secure centralized servers, adapting to the brand's technical and compliance requirements without locking them into a single blockchain ecosystem. • DPP as an entry point, not an endpoint: where others treat the Digital Product Passport as a compliance deliverable, Trust-Place uses it as a gateway, appending an "Activate my certificate" button that converts a regulatory touchpoint into a direct, owned brand relationship. • Deep sector expertise: co-founded by pioneers with over 25 years in RFID and luxury retail, Trust-Place brings operational fluency that technology-first platforms rarely possess, from EPC identifier strategy to boutique staff adoption. The result is a post-purchase platform that serves brand teams as a retention and personalization tool, and serves clients as a seamless, premium ownership experience, elevating both sides of the relationship simultaneously.

A digital product certificate is a cryptographic proof of ownership that links a physical product, its owner, and a purchase invoice into a single secure, transferable record. Here is everything brands and owners need to know. What is a digital product certificate? A digital product certificate is a secure, verifiable digital record that links three elements: a unique product identifier (via NFC chip, QR code, or engraved serial number), an owner identity (name, email), and a proof of purchase (invoice photo). It is encrypted, stored on a blockchain or secure server, and issued at the moment of sale to certify legitimate ownership. Unlike a paper certificate or a basic warranty, a digital product certificate is tamper-proof, permanently auditable, and can be transferred to a new owner when the product changes hands. How is a digital product certificate different from a warranty card? A warranty card is a paper (or basic digital) document that records a purchase date and activates after-sales service rights. A digital product certificate goes further: it is cryptographically signed, tamper-proof, transferable to a new owner upon resale, and gives the brand real-time visibility into who owns each product across all sales channels, retail, e-commerce, wholesale, resale, and gifting. What are the three components of a Trust-Place digital certificate? Every Trust-Place certificate has three keys: 1. Product identifier: the NFC chip, QR code, or engraved number embedded in or attached to the product. 2. Owner identifier: the first and last name and email address of the current owner, validated at activation. 3. Purchase proof: a photo of the invoice uploaded and validated by the owner at the time of certificate activation. These three elements are cryptographically combined and stored on a blockchain (EOS or Polygon) or on secure servers depending on brand preference. Is a digital product certificate the same as an NFT? No. While both can use blockchain technology, an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is primarily a tradable digital asset with speculative value. A digital product certificate is a utility-first tool: its purpose is to certify ownership of a physical product, enable brand services, and transfer cleanly upon resale, with no speculative component. Trust-Place certificates are brand-controlled and not traded on open NFT markets. Can a digital product certificate be transferred to a new owner? Yes. When a certified product is resold or gifted, the original owner initiates a transfer. The new owner activates the certificate with their own identity and a proof of the resale transaction. The brand is notified, the chain of ownership is updated, and the new owner gains access to all associated services, exclusive content, and loyalty benefits, exactly as the first owner did. This is one of the most powerful features for luxury brands: it extends the brand relationship beyond the first point of sale into the entire resale lifecycle. Which product categories can use digital product certificates? Any category where product identity, ownership provenance, and long-term customer relationships matter. This includes luxury fashion (ready-to-wear, leather goods, accessories), fine furniture and decorative arts, high-end sports equipment, collectibles, limited editions, and numismatic pieces. Trust-Place clients include Isabel Marant, Chloé, Ligne Roset, Saint Laurent, ST Dupont, Jacquemus, La Monnaie de Paris, Liaigre, Adam Lippes, Hercule Studio, and others across fashion, furniture, and collectibles. What happens if the product's NFC chip is removed or damaged? Trust-Place supports multiple identification methods, NFC chip, QR code, and engraved serial number, so brands choose the most appropriate method for each product type. If an NFC chip is removed or damaged, ownership can still be verified via the serial number and the certificate stored on blockchain or server. This multi-key approach makes certificates resilient to physical tampering. Does the brand need to use blockchain to issue a digital certificate? No. Trust-Place uses a blockchain-agnostic approach: certificates can be stored on a public blockchain (EOS or Polygon) for maximum tamper-proof transparency, or on Trust-Place's secure servers if the brand prefers a non-blockchain approach. Both options deliver full certificate functionality; the storage method is a brand configuration choice made at onboarding.

Blockchain gives luxury brands something no traditional database can offer: tamper-proof, independently verifiable records of product authenticity and ownership. Here is what this means in practice. What problem does blockchain solve for luxury brands? Blockchain solves the trust problem in product certification. With a traditional centralised database, the brand (or any party with database access) could theoretically modify or delete ownership records. A public blockchain makes records immutable: once a certificate is written on-chain, no party can alter it, not even Trust-Place or the brand itself. This makes the certificate credible not just between brand and customer, but also to resale platforms, customs authorities, insurance companies, and any third party who needs to verify ownership provenance independently. Which blockchain does Trust-Place use? Trust-Place uses a blockchain-agnostic approach. By default, certificates can be stored on the EOS blockchain or the Polygon (Ethereum Layer 2) network, depending on the brand's technical and operational preferences. If a brand prefers to avoid blockchain entirely, for legal, compliance, or simplicity reasons, Trust-Place stores certificates on its own secure servers with equivalent functional protection. The business value of the certificate is identical in both cases. Key clarification: Blockchain vs secure server Both options produce a fully functional Trust-Place certificate. Blockchain adds independent immutability and third-party verifiability. Secure servers add operational simplicity and are preferred by brands in regulated industries where data sovereignty is a concern. Is blockchain the same as NFTs in the luxury context? No. An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a blockchain-based digital asset that can be traded and carries speculative market value. A Trust-Place blockchain certificate is a utility record with no market value, it cannot be traded, sold separately from the physical product, or speculated upon. The blockchain is simply the storage layer that guarantees immutability; the certificate's value is its authentication and loyalty function, not any financial property. What is the carbon footprint of blockchain certificates? Trust-Place uses Polygon, a Proof-of-Stake blockchain with a carbon footprint approximately 99.9% lower than the original Ethereum Proof-of-Work network. EOS is also a low-energy blockchain by design. For brands with sustainability commitments, the environmental impact of issuing digital certificates on these networks is negligible, and significantly lower than the carbon footprint of producing and shipping traditional paper certificates or warranty booklets.

The Digital Product Passport is an EU regulation that will require luxury and fashion brands to attach a digital lifecycle record to every product sold in Europe. Here is what it means in practice, and how it connects to digital ownership certificates. What is a Digital Product Passport? A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital record mandated by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) that contains standardised information about a product's materials, components, repairability, recyclability, and carbon footprint. It is attached to each product unit and accessible via a QR code or NFC chip. The DPP aims to make product lifecycle data available to consumers, repair professionals, and recyclers across the European Union, enabling more informed purchasing decisions and facilitating circular economy practices. How does Trust-Place act as a CDP for luxury brands? Trust-Place's back-office aggregates data from the brand's ERP, PIM, and e-commerce systems, then enriches each record with the owner identity captured at certificate activation. This creates a unique owner profile linked to specific products, a far richer data layer than a standard CDP, which typically knows what a customer bought but not whether they still own it, or what happened to the product after a wholesale sale. The resulting owner database can be exported to the brand's existing CRM or marketing automation platform. Which product categories are affected by the DPP regulation? The EU is rolling out DPP requirements by product category. Textiles and fashion are among the first sectors targeted, with requirements expected to come into force progressively from 2026–2027. Furniture, electronics, and construction materials are also in scope. Luxury and premium brands in fashion, furniture, and accessories will therefore need to comply with DPP requirements for all products sold in the EU market. Key insight: The DPP and the digital ownership certificate are complementary, not competing. The DPP is a regulatory compliance requirement; the digital certificate is a brand loyalty tool. Together they turn a mandatory NFC tap into a full post-purchase experience. Is Trust-Place a Digital Product Passport provider? Trust-Place is not a DPP provider in the strict regulatory sense. The DPP is used as a touchpoint and entry point to activate the Trust-Place digital ownership certificate. Upstream DPP data, materials, traceability, sustainability information, is provided by the brand or by specialist DPP and traceability providers such as Fairly Made or Trustrace. The DPP interface can be created by these providers, by the brand directly, or by Trust-Place. In all cases, Trust-Place adds an "Activate my digital certificate" call-to-action to the DPP experience, enabling the brand to identify the product owner and begin the post-purchase loyalty journey. What is the difference between a DPP and a digital product certificate? https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9119ee_bf5855bfb663452da9d1859fbe0bdd88~mv2.png Does the DPP replace the need for anti-counterfeiting technology? No. The DPP provides product data but does not in itself certify that a specific item is authentic or that the person holding it is the legitimate owner. Digital product certificates, with their three-key authentication (product ID + owner identity + invoice proof), go beyond DPP compliance to provide anti-counterfeiting protection and ownership verification, particularly valuable in the fast-growing second-hand luxury market. When do luxury brands need to be DPP-compliant? The EU ESPR regulation was adopted in 2024, with DPP requirements for textiles expected to apply from approximately 2026–2027, depending on the delegated act timelines set by the European Commission. The exact date varies by product category and will be confirmed in category-specific delegated regulations. Brands selling in the EU market are advised to begin preparing their product data infrastructure now, both to meet compliance deadlines and to turn the mandatory NFC/QR touchpoint into a competitive advantage through integrated digital certificates.

Luxury loyalty is not about points or cashback. It is about recognition, exclusivity, and a lasting emotional connection to the brand world. Here are the strategies that leading brands are deploying, and the technology making them scalable. How is luxury brand loyalty different from mass-market loyalty? Mass-market loyalty programmes are transactional: they reward repeat purchasing with points, discounts, or cashback. Luxury loyalty is relational: it is built on recognition, exclusivity, and emotional connection to the brand universe. Luxury customers are not incentivised by discounts, they are motivated by privileged access, unique experiences, personalised attention, and the sense of belonging to an exclusive community. A 10% voucher is counterproductive; a private preview invitation is priceless. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9119ee_c0e4321ee93a472dbd37455b23544898~mv2.png What are the most effective post-purchase loyalty levers for luxury brands? The most effective luxury post-purchase loyalty levers include: • Personalized care services: product-specific maintenance guides, repair facilitation, and dedicated after-sales advisors • Exclusive access: private previews, invitation-only events, and early access to limited collections • Heritage storytelling: behind-the-scenes content on craftsmanship, materials, and the artisans behind the product • Authenticated resale facilitation: digital certificates that maintain brand control and authenticity in the second-hand market • Ownership milestones: personalised messages on the anniversary of the product's activation • Exclusive brand community: access to a white-label owner portal that creates a sense of belonging How do digital product certificates help luxury brands build loyalty? Digital certificates solve the core loyalty problem in luxury: the majority of product owners are unknown to the brand. When an owner activates their Trust-Place certificate, whether they bought the product in-store, from a wholesale partner, or received it as a gift, the brand identifies them for the first time and can begin a personalised relationship. The certificate becomes the permanent bridge between the physical product and an exclusive digital brand experience. Every owner, regardless of purchase channel, can access the same quality of post-purchase experience, something impossible with traditional CRM or loyalty programmes alone. Can luxury brands personalize communications by product? Yes. Trust-Place connects owner identity to specific product data, model, collection, material, purchase date, and acquisition channel. This enables hyper-personalised communications: care guides specific to the product's material (leather, wood, cashmere), anniversary messages on the product's activation date, exclusive content about the creative process behind that specific item, and offers relevant to the owner's entire certified product portfolio. This level of product-linked personalisation is a fundamental step beyond standard CRM segmentation, which typically operates at the customer level rather than the individual product level. How do brands like Isabel Marant, Chloé or Ligne Roset use Trust-Place for loyalty? Trust-Place clients use the platform to: • Identify product owners across all channels (retail, e-commerce, wholesale, resale, gifting) • Deliver exclusive brand content and services via a white-label owner portal • Enable authenticated resale that maintains brand equity in the second-hand market • Build a first-party owner database that feeds directly into their existing CRM • Track the full ownership lifecycle of each product from first sale through resale The platform transforms every certified product into a permanent loyalty touchpoint, making the physical object itself a bridge to a lasting digital brand relationship.

For luxury brands, the sale is only the beginning. Post-purchase experience is everything that happens afterwards, and it is now the primary driver of long-term brand loyalty. Here is why it matters and how digital certificates make it scalable. Post-purchase experience Post-purchase experience is the totality of brand interactions that occur after the moment of sale. In luxury, this includes delivery communications, product onboarding content, care and maintenance guides, exclusive events, loyalty rewards, resale facilitation, and personalized anniversary messages tied to the product purchase date. The goal is to transform a transaction into a lasting relationship between the owner and the brand, extending the perceived value of the purchase over the product's entire lifetime. Why is post-purchase experience critical for luxury brands? In luxury, a product is often owned and cherished for years, sometimes decades. Yet most brands lose direct contact with the customer the moment the item leaves the point of sale, especially for products sold through wholesale partners, gifted to third parties, or resold on the secondary market. A post-purchase platform like Trust-Place solves this by giving the brand a direct channel to every owner, regardless of how or where the product was originally purchased. This is transformative for brand equity and customer lifetime value. What types of post-purchase content do luxury brands offer? Common post-purchase touchpoints used by Trust-Place clients include: • Exclusive behind-the-scenes content on the product's creation and craftsmanship • Care and maintenance guides personalised by product category • Priority access to new collections or private sales events • Invitations to in-store, private, or online brand events • Personalised anniversary messages on the product's activation date • Digital certificates that facilitate authenticated resale on trusted platforms • Access to a white-label owner portal with the brand's exclusive community • Product-specific promotions and partner discounts How does Trust-Place enable post-purchase experience? Trust-Place provides a three-layer platform: Layer 1 Digital ownership certificate: identifies the owner at the moment of certificate activation, creating a direct brand-owner relationship regardless of purchase channel. Layer 2 Back-office: aggregates data from the brand's ERP, PIM, and e-commerce channels to enable analytics, owner segmentation, hyper-personalized communications, and CRM export. Layer 3 White-label client space: a branded exclusive owner portal, either an extension of the brand's website or a dedicated mobile application, where owners access their certified products, services, and exclusive content. Can brands reach owners acquired through wholesale or gifting channels? Yes, and this is one of Trust-Place's most powerful value propositions. Traditional CRM only captures customers who buy directly from the brand. Trust-Place certificates capture owner identity regardless of acquisition channel: retail, e-commerce, wholesale, resale, or gift. When the new owner activates their certificate, the brand learns who they are for the first time and can begin a direct relationship. For many luxury brands with significant wholesale distribution, this unlocks an entirely new segment of high-value customers who were previously invisible.

Both NFC chips and QR codes can connect a physical luxury product to its digital certificate. The choice between them depends on the product type, price point, and the level of anti- counterfeiting protection required. What is the difference between NFC and QR code for luxury authentication? NFC (Near Field Communication) requires the user to tap their smartphone against the product. No camera is needed. The chip can be embedded invisibly inside the product, in a garment lining, under a furniture label, inside a shoe sole, preserving the aesthetic integrity of the object. QR codes are visual patterns printed or engraved on a label, tag, or the product itself. They require a camera scan. They are simpler to produce but visible, and, unlike NFC chips, can be photographically reproduced. Comparison: NFC, QR code, and engraved serial number https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9119ee_49769f98845544fc8503d6a71e60ffe5~mv2.png Which technology is harder to counterfeit — NFC or QR? NFC chips are significantly harder to counterfeit. Each chip has a unique cryptographic identifier that cannot be copied through printing, a counterfeiter would need to source and embed an identical chip with the same ID, which is technically complex and commercially impractical at scale. QR codes, by contrast, can be photographed and reprinted on any label. For high-value luxury items, NFC is the preferred authentication method. QR codes remain effective for mid-range products or when combined with cryptographic server-side certificate verification. Can Trust-Place use both NFC and QR codes on the same product? Yes. Trust-Place is technology-agnostic and supports NFC chips, QR codes, and engraved serial numbers, either individually or in combination. Some brands use an NFC chip embedded in the product and a QR code on the packaging, giving the owner two activation pathways. In all cases, the same digital certificate is activated; only the scanning method differs. What is an engraved serial number used for in Trust-Place certificates? An engraved serial number is particularly suited to metal objects, leather goods, timepieces, and furniture where electronics cannot be embedded and printed labels would be aesthetically unacceptable. The owner enters the serial number manually when activating their certificate. The authentication strength comes not from the serial number alone, but from the combination of serial + owner identity + invoice proof that forms the Trust-Place three-key certificate.

When a luxury product with a Trust-Place digital certificate is resold or gifted, ownership transfers on-chain. The new owner becomes brand-registered, the provenance chain is preserved, and the brand gains a new direct relationship, automatically. Step-by-step: how a Trust-Place ownership transfer works 1. The current owner logs into their Trust-Place owner portal and initiates a transfer request for the specific product 2. They provide proof of the transaction: a resale invoice, resale platform confirmation, or a written gift declaration 3. A personalised transfer invitation is sent to the new owner (via email link provided by the seller) 4. The new owner clicks the link, confirms their identity (name and email), and uploads their acquisition proof 5. The certificate is cryptographically updated, the new owner is recorded, the full ownership chain is preserved on-chain 6. The brand is automatically notified of the new owner and can begin a direct post-purchase relationship What happens to the original owner's certificate after transfer? The original owner's access to the certificate ends upon confirmed transfer. The certificate is updated with the new owner's identity while the historical record of the original owner is preserved permanently on-chain for provenance purposes. The original owner can no longer access the exclusive content or services associated with that product. Does the new owner need to be an existing brand customer? No. The new owner does not need any prior relationship with the brand. They activate the certificate with their own identity, and the brand learns who they are for the first time through the Trust-Place platform. This is one of Trust-Place's most powerful value propositions: it allows brands to identify and engage second-hand buyers, gift recipients, and wholesale customers who would otherwise remain completely invisible to the brand's CRM. Can ownership be transferred multiple times? Yes. A Trust-Place certificate can record an unlimited chain of transfers across the product's lifetime. Each transfer preserves the full provenance history. A product resold five times over twenty years would carry a complete, cryptographically verified record of every owner, an unprecedented provenance record that adds significant authentication value and supports premium resale pricing. What proof is required to initiate a transfer? Both parties must provide verification. The seller provides proof of the transfer: a resale invoice, platform confirmation screenshot, or written gift declaration. The new owner confirms their identity and uploads their acquisition proof. Both verifications are required to prevent fraudulent transfers and maintain the certificate's integrity as an anti-counterfeiting tool.

The second-hand luxury market exceeded €49 billion globally in 2023 and is growing at twice the pace of the primary market. Authenticating items at scale is the industry's greatest challenge, and digital certificates are fast becoming the gold standard. How do resale platforms authenticate luxury items today? Most luxury resale platforms, Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal, Collector Square, and others, use a combination of: • Visual inspection by trained authentication experts • Hardware scanning: stitching quality, material feel, logo placement, hardware engravings • Serial number cross-referencing against brand databases (when accessible) • Third-party digital authentication services (Entrupy, Legit App, etc.) The challenge is that physical inspection is expensive, slow, and does not scale for high-volume resale operations. Digital product certificates provide an instant, tamper-proof alternative that is available 24/7. What should a buyer check when purchasing a second-hand luxury item? 1. Physical craftsmanship: stitching regularity, hardware quality, material finish and smell 2. Original paperwork: invoice, original receipt, or purchase confirmation 3. Serial number: location and format consistent with the brand's known practices 4. Digital product certificate: if the brand issues them, this is the most reliable proof, it cryptographically links the item to a verified chain of ownership from the original sale When a digital certificate is present, it dramatically reduces the cognitive burden on the buyer and the authentication cost for the platform. How does a Trust-Place digital certificate work at resale? The ownership transfer process works as follows: 1. The original owner decides to sell the item and initiates a certificate transfer from their Trust-Place owner portal 2. The buyer receives a transfer invitation link with the full item history and ownership chain 3. The buyer confirms their identity (name, email) and uploads a proof of the resale transaction 4. The certificate is updated on the blockchain with the new owner's identity — the complete chain is preserved 5. The brand is notified of the new owner and can begin a direct post-purchase relationship with them The entire chain of custody from first sale onwards is permanently and tamper-proof recorded on-chain. Does a digital certificate prove an item is not counterfeit? A digital certificate significantly strengthens anti-counterfeiting protection because it ties the product to an invoice and a verifiable chain of ownership that only the original brand can initiate. A counterfeit item cannot have a legitimate certificate issued by the brand, and any attempt to forge a certificate would fail because the blockchain record is immutable. The certificate is most effective when issued at the original point of sale. Its strength at resale is directly proportional to how thoroughly the issuing brand validates the initial certificate activation. Which luxury brands currently offer digital certificates for resale? Trust-Place clients including Isabel Marant, Chloé, Saint Laurent, ST Dupont, Jacquemus, Ligne Roset, La Monnaie de Paris, Liaigre, Adam Lippes, Hercule Studio, Fleurgrain, Delcourt Collection, Collection Particulière, and Andrée Putman Studio currently issue digital certificates to their customers. As EU Digital Product Passport requirements take effect from 2026–2027, adoption across the luxury and premium sector is expected to accelerate significantly, making digital certificates the new standard for second-hand market authentication.