Age Verification Ecommerce

[Krakkan]

Well I was doing some research and I came across a relatively affordable online age verification system that can integrate into most shopping carts.

It is what the wine clubs use to insure their buyers are over 21 who purchase online and the database is so accurate it can stand up in court so I am told by my winery friends.

Solutions for ID verification and age verification - IDology

The product will use and quiz system it pulls from live databases based on name address etc used to purchase. I went through the demo with a sales rep named Scrib Daily and I was impressed how it worked.

The system will pull stuff that 99% of teenagers would have no chance in hell of knowing about their parents.

Here is an excerpt from website. The costs were a small initial investment and a monthly fee that was very reasonable.

Below is info from their website:
Verify Age

It’s a lot easier to know if someone is the right age to purchase your product or service when you’re in a store than online. And with the increasing best practices and mandates for how businesses interact with children on the Internet, it gets even trickier.
IDology sets the industry standard for age verification solutions. That’s why Wine America endorses us. And why some of the largest restricted product companies in the world choose to use ExpectID Age.
ExpectID Age was developed to quickly confirm an age while promoting the guidelines set forth in the Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Specifically we designed our age verification solution to prevent and deter the activity of under-age consumer not-present activities for companies that want to replicate the protection standards in the bricks and mortar world.

“IDology’s age verification solution gives wineries an important, effective and efficient way to instantly confirm someone’s age when making remote wine sales”
Bill Nelson, President, WineAmerica
How ExpectID Age Works:

Through a sophisticated technology platform, ExpectID Age performs an age verification check on your customers. Add in our knowledge-based solution, ExpectID IQ for further identity verification.
ExpectID Age Benefits:

• Helps eliminate age-restricted product sales to minors online
• Prevents minors from accessing restricted content
• Increases protection of your business
• Reporting features help show your due diligence efforts
• Alerts you to interactions with minors under COPPA
• Provides flexible limit settings
• Confirms age based on name and address only

Sample Applications:

• Alcohol and tobacco sales
• Gaming
• Rated entertainment
• Wireless mobile content
• Subscription based services
• Online dating
• Restricted access websites
• Promotional item requests
• Gift purchases

[Krakkan]

I figure our biggest hurdle is the fact that people think we market towards kids and I think something like this for the ECA and for suppliers would be a huge step forward. If it works as I have seen I do not doubt it.

[martha1014]

I don't quite understand how this works but if a person under 18 enters their parents information would this be ineffective. I know my children could answer any question about myself. Of course this would be illegal.

[LaceyUnderall]

I am all for whatever keeps kids from purchasing...

And I will certainly direct the ECA to this thread Krakkan... so thank you for pointing it out...

That said, I STILL believe Kids are going to do as they want. I remember when I was babysitting back in the day. The parents were control freaks. They had programmed the remote with a 6 number id to even turn the cable on. After 1 hour of solid trying, the kids got the cable to work.

Of course I told the parents as you kind of have to if you want the job again....

We went through this every weekend for the entire summer and every time, the kids figured it out. 6 digits! That's not easy! Finally, the parents gave in because they ran out of numbers to use that they could remember and when they wrote them down and hid them in their closet... the kids found those too.

HA! Kids.

[Timekey]

[quote=LaceyUnderall;624017]I am all for whatever keeps kids from purchasing...


Really ? Would you be all for making it illegal to sell retail in a mall?

[Krakkan]

Well the system asks questions I know that most teenagers wouldn't know its 3-5 questions randomized. Everything from your last 4 digits of your socials to what was your first car its multiple choice so and some questions will have nothing to do with you. I know I dont know my dad or moms social much less the color or make of their first car or what city they lived in when they were 21. Its a pretty thorough database and I was impressed by the demo.

[Krakkan]

Originally Posted by LaceyUnderall

I am all for whatever keeps kids from purchasing...

And I will certainly direct the ECA to this thread Krakkan... so thank you for pointing it out...

That said, I STILL believe Kids are going to do as they want. I remember when I was babysitting back in the day. The parents were control freaks. They had programmed the remote with a 6 number id to even turn the cable on. After 1 hour of solid trying, the kids got the cable to work.

Of course I told the parents as you kind of have to if you want the job again....

We went through this every weekend for the entire summer and every time, the kids figured it out. 6 digits! That's not easy! Finally, the parents gave in because they ran out of numbers to use that they could remember and when they wrote them down and hid them in their closet... the kids found those too.

HA! Kids.

No doubt but if a system like this makes it legal to sell booze online the government couldn't say **** about ecigs with it. Kids will get what they want no matter what but its our job to make it as hard as possible for them and protect our own asses as well.

[Mustang394]

So your saying this data base knows the color of my first car? I find that hard to believe?

[Mustang394]

[quote=Timekey;628887]

Originally Posted by LaceyUnderall

I am all for whatever keeps kids from purchasing...


Really ? Would you be all for making it illegal to sell retail in a mall?

If they are selling them to kids! Yes

[LaceyUnderall]

Originally Posted by Timekey

Really ? Would you be all for making it illegal to sell retail in a mall?

I can speak only from a parental perspective: Children do frequent malls. Is it proper to place an ecig kiosk in front of the Disney store? I don't believe so. (There was mention in an article somewhere that the ecig kiosk visited was in front of a store that children frequented. So this is obviously an issue, which as a parent, I can see)

EDIT: More appropriate would be a store like Abercrombie where teenagers (more so than young children who wouldn't even look twice at an ecig) would most likely be without an adult and a plume of vapor... might catch their attention. Spencer's Gifts carries adult type items in a mall setting, however, they are more towards the back and not out in the open area of the mall. End EDIT.

Do I think that the kiosks should be locked showcases instead of those little carts that are open to theft? Yes.

There are upstanding kiosk owners who take it very seriously not to sell to children, so I certainly do not want to restrict them from their ability to sell, but at the same time, we do need to ensure that these products are treated with respect when it comes to placement and children's access.

Originally Posted by Krakkan

No doubt but if a system like this makes it legal to sell booze online the government couldn't say **** about ecigs with it. Kids will get what they want no matter what but its our job to make it as hard as possible for them and protect our own asses as well.

We would like to think that... but don't forget... alcohol is protected by an amendment in the Constitution.