I'm selling products that require age verification. Is there a way to verify a shopper's age before they can buy my products?
Response:
You might opt to use IDology for this. Our system is integrated with IDology, so the setup is easy. IDology is an Age Verification Service, providing fully integrated XML-based tools that verify the age of customers in the Online Store. The verification is performed based on the customer's contact information, including name, address and date of birth (if available); and a corresponding search of public records. Age Verification is aimed at providing legal due diligence for alcohol merchants, although it is appropriate for any company that sells age-sensitive products.
In the Online Store, Age Verification occurs during the checkout process. If IDology confirms that the customer is not of age, the customer is blocked from proceeding with the order. If the service returns an uncertain response, the customer may be asked to resubmit his/her information as determined by the Uncertainty Notification field on the Preferences screen. In the case of a returning customer, Age Verification does not occur if the customer has been previously confirmed to be of age. You may also choose to verify age when editing the customer in the Order Management System, and when performing a Customer Import (Customers/Import).
Age Verification results appear in the form of a flag icon adjacent to the customer's name on the Order List, Order Detail, Customer List, and Customer Detail screens in the Order Management System. A green flag indicates that the customer has been confirmed to be of age, a yellow flag indicates uncertainty, and a red flag indicates that the customer is not of age. Placing the mouse pointer over the flag icon produces a tool tip with more information, including notes on the verification (if available).
Notes:
If IDology returns an error when attempting to verify the age of a customer in the Online Store, the customer is permitted to proceed with the order without interruption, and a yellow flag results in the Order Management System. Age Verification is available only for customers in the 50 United States (and the District of Columbia). You may manually set the status of the age verification flag when creating or editing a customer in the Order Management System, or via the Customer Import (Customers/Import).
To activate this integration in your store, first sign up with IDology. There is a signup link in your system in Settings / Compatible Software - Edit / Alcoholic Beverage Tools / IDology. Once you are signed up, enter your username and password in the Order Management System in Settings / Compatible Software - Edit / Alcoholic Beverage Tools / IDology. There are some additional settings available in the Preferences screen.
If you choose to use an Alcoholic Beverage Tool, it is strongly suggested that you carefully review those options. In particular, you are strongly advised to create a Date of Birth field at Customers/Custom Fields, and associate that field with the tools on the Preferences screen. See Q1910 in the help desk for information about setting up a Date of Birth custom field.
