Your customers want to be able to place mobile orders, and if it was as easy as a snap of your fingers, you’d be adding that capability to your site.
One of the things that might be stopping you is figuring out how to verify mobile orders that include beer or cigarettes. What if there was a way to simplify that verification process? Let’s explore.
C-stores see anywhere from 150 – 160 million visits each day.
With such a high number of those visits including the purchase of age-restricted items, retailers can’t afford to let age verification concerns stand in their way.
Retailers also can’t afford to ignore the growing demand for mobile ordering, so figuring out this solution is a must.
The solution needs to include relieving c-store staff of their responsibilities for verifying customer age and detecting fake IDs.
What if There Was a Way...
...to streamline the age verification process? Imagine not needing to train your staff on verifying age and identifying fake IDs. Not needing to worry about the risks associated with age verification, risks that range from monetary fines all the way to a store being shut down.
That streamlined age verification would allow c-stores to facilitate frictionless transactions, meeting customers’ demands for a more seamless experience.
TruAge is That Way®
TruAge is a digital age verification solution that helps retailers securely show proof of age when customers purchase age-restricted products.
“TruAge was started by NACS, so it was started for the c-store industry by the c-store industry.”
- Paul Ziv, Vice President of Technology & Operations, TruAge
TruAge works by extracting the necessary data points from a customer’s license, or their unique QR code in the TruAge app, and conducts the age verification automatically in the POS.
TruAge is completely free and is easy to add. All you need is Passport Software v24.04 and to sign up for TruAge. The onboarding process only takes about 10 minutes! TruAge is also free for consumers, and it's quick and easy for them to set up as well.
Every C-Store is Different
How your site handles mobile orders containing age-restricted items will always depend on what makes the most sense for your site.
The beauty of TruAge is that it works how you need it to.
The right process for you might be holding the age-restricted items behind the counter until the customer comes in and then using TruAge in your POS to conduct the age verification.
Perhaps your customers use digital wallets more than they do cash or card. With the TruAge app those customers would be able to verify their age ahead of time, and purchase age-restricted items with only their phone on them.
Sticking with the TruAge app, maybe you have your own first-party ordering platform and your wish is to have TruAge integrated directly with it. Your wish is granted as TruAge can do just that. Now your customer’s age is verified right when they place their mobile order.
The Bottom Line
“Digital age verification is going to become a must.”
- Paul Ziv, Vice President of Technology & Operations, TruAge
Retailers don’t need a crystal ball to see the future when it comes to selling age-restricted items.
Between the time it takes to train your staff to properly verify a customer’s age and the risks that come with getting the verification wrong, embracing a digital solution that does the job for you is a no-brainer.
The information from this blog was first presented at RTC25. Stay tuned for dates and location for RTC26 to gain early access to information like this.