BESTWAY TAKES PART IN PIONEERING AGE-VERIFICATION TECHNOLOGY TRIAL

Bestway Wholesale •  21 February 2022

Age verification technology pilot trial underway

Bestway Wholesale, the UK’s largest independent food and drink wholesaler, has partnered with Innovative Technology to pilot the Convenience channel’s first use of age verification technology. The regulatory ‘Sandbox’ trial, which is part of a Home Office programme, will run until May 2022 across three Bestway Retail stores in Leeds, namely:

  • Bargain Booze in Otley 
  • Wine Rack in Roundhay
  • Tippl in Garforth



Developed by Innovative Technology, the ICU age verification technology is the most accurate independently tested system worldwide and is tailored to help retailers avoid selling alcohol and tobacco products to underage customers. While the trial will still require humans to check customers ages, the technology has exciting potential use cases in retail, particularly when it comes to protecting staff from abuse.


Mike Hollis, Director at Bestway Retail said: “We’re proud to be pioneering the use of age verification technology in our drinks led specialist stores. Staff abuse is rife in the convenience channel, with the Association of Convenience Stores’ 2021 Crime Report highlighting that there were over a million incidents of verbal abuse and about 40,000 incidents of violence against people working in convenience stores in the past year alone.”


“We surveyed staff in our three participating stores and the responses received showed that staff abuse, particularly when it comes to the refusal to sell alcohol, is a significant issue. All participants agreed that using technology could reduce staff abuse and we believe that using the ICU screen will act as a deterrent when it comes to staff abuse. It will also give retailers peace of mind and ensure that they avoid prosecutions, fines, or losing their license for the miss-sale of alcohol or tobacco products.”


Dr Andrew O’Brien, ICU Product Manager added: “We are delighted to be accepted into the UK Government Sandbox scheme and see all our hard work undertaken over the past few months come to fruition. Our team have liaised with local licensing authorities, local police officers and local councils to ensure our solution (ICU) is safe, legal and meets the criteria of the scheme. ICU age verification technology will now be piloted in several Bestway Retail stores in Yorkshire, and we will closely monitor our test sites to ensure we support the retailers’ and collate the relevant data throughout the trial.”

 

The ICU technology is non-intrusive and uses leading accuracy, edge AI that incorporates spoof detection technology. ICU’s specially trained algorithms can detect photographs and videos to prevent fraud attempts and takes place in the background without affecting the user experience. ICU does not require internet access and scans the face completely offline in seconds. The technology is fully GDPR compliant, as once the face scan is processed, all related data to that subject is permanently deleted.


The ICU verification technology can be installed alongside Point Of Sale with the screen facing the customer and the screening outcome visible to staff. Once a customer is scanned, the screen will flash green if above 25 or red if 25 or under, alerting staff that further age verification is required. 


Royal Flush Vape
by Biometrics Team 25 January 2024
As part of Royal Flush Vape's commitment and dedication in preventing youth access to vaping and vape-related products, they have recently taken the decision to implement Innovative Technology’s (ITL) age estimation technology across their chain of stores in the North West of England.
by Biometrics Team 21 July 2023
The use of biometric technology is an emerging way that retailers have access to invaluable consumer analytics to improve the retail experience. Customer intelligence is vital for retailers to see the type of customer visiting their stores, to help plan to attract different cohorts into their shop, organise staffing levels – or even determine effectiveness of new marketing drives. Read to discover the critical way consumer analytics, powered by biometric technology, can give retailers a more cohesive way to use customer intelligence. What can we learn from consumer analytics? Biometric data including estimated gender and age can be used to generate anonymous demographic data while maintaining customers’ privacy. The data can then be analysed to categorise consumer groups and analyse the effectiveness of targeting market campaigns to help continuously improve segmentation and refine marketing drives. This information enhances the understanding of customer habits and gives retailers more knowledge about customer-centric activities. For example, you may learn when women are more likely to shop, so you can tailor messaging or adverts on display at a certain time to provide a more relevant in-store experience. Innovative Technology has developed MyCheckr , an all-in-one device that anonymously captures consumer analytics without violating an individual’s privacy. Our analytics function enables retailers to see what customers are on their premises, categorise them into appropriate demographics and predict the timings they shop, helping business owners to tailor marketing campaigns accordingly. Not only do our devices help retain customer loyalty, but they can also help attract different cohorts. Being aware of timings in which customers shop is also helpful for scheduling rotas for shift workers effectively. The data may show a surge in customers at specific times and days, and managers can choose to assign more staff during that period to ensure quality customer service and reduced waiting times. Similarly, at times of the day when there are fewer customers, rotas can be planned to involve fewer staff members and reduce unnecessary expenditures. Consumer analytics as a measure of success As well as using biometric data to help you plan marketing strategies and campaigns, it can also be used to help measure the success of them. At Innovative Technology, we develop solutions that not only retrieve the data to help you decide on your next marketing strategy, but also provide answers to whether your efforts have been successful. Say, for example, that you’ve noticed fewer people aged 25-35 in your premises, and you’ve implemented a campaign to encourage more of this demographic. You’ll be able to tell whether your campaign is working by measuring if more 25-35 year olds are coming through your doors. You can then tailor the campaign accordingly, using consumer analytics as a continuous measure of how the activity is performing. An easy integration MyCheckr is a standalone device which requires no integration, simply plug in and get started straight away. The device processes data locally with instant results, without storing any information, so customer privacy is never at risk. No internet is required with all functions available offline, and there are no hidden costs or subscriptions. The new analytical features available on MyCheckr are intended to help retailers discover more about their customers in a completely anonymous way, ensuring that both parties are benefiting from the arrangement - customers know their data is protected, and businesses are able to drive marketing with AI-based consumer analytics. For further information, see our full range of products .
by Biometrics Team 10 July 2023
Innovative Technology have developed a biometric solution that brings a different type of sophistication to digital adverting at an affordable price.
person using current exchange machine
by Biometrics Team 4 July 2023
Discover how biometric technology is paving the way for AML and Player Protection compliance.
by Biometrics Team 3 July 2023
Vaping has seen a large surge in popularity in many countries over the past few years, with teenage use accelerating at an alarming rate. In the UK, a recent Serve Legal survey found a massive 42% of respondents had tried a vape before turning 18. Shops selling vapes to children under the legal age without conducting appropriate and effective age checks is a huge contributing factor. The latest biometric technology from Innovative Technology (ITL) can support retailers with the necessary tools to ensure accurate age checks are in place. Commenting on ITL’s age estimation technology, Dr Andrew O'Brien, Product Manager – Biometrics said, “Using biometric technology for age checks works by analysing the customer’s facial features to calculate their age. This can automate the age check process and offer servers an added layer of security and confidence when selling age-restricted products. As a society we want to protect the underage from accessing age restricted items, to do so we must support the retailers in performing age checks. Our biometric range of products are designed as tools to assist retailers and make the age check process effective and efficient”.
facial recognition
by biometrics team 30 June 2023
Biometric access control offers an enhanced security system for your business. Read this blog to learn how they work and their benefits.
digital biometric advertising
by Biometrics Team 16 June 2023
From printed ads to biometrically enhanced advertising, learn about the evolution of advertising and where it’s heading next
by Biometrics Team 8 June 2023
An in-depth look at how biometric technology can support the age check process. Vaping has seen a massive surge in popularity in many countries over the past few years, with teenage use accelerating. Shops selling vapes illegally without conducting appropriate and effective age checks is a contributing factor. This blog discusses just how big the problem is for our younger generation, and how with biometric technology, we can support retailers with the necessary tools to help stem and reverse this disturbing trend.
automated access control
by Biometrics Team 25 May 2023
What is automated access control and how can it open new doors for your business?
More posts
Share by: