NCR to trial age detection tech for self-service checkouts

Retailers in the US and UK are expected to trial the combined solution in the coming months.

Age verification can make up over 50 percent of interventions at self-checkouts impacting checkout time for consumers. To help streamline the checkout process NCR is integrating Yoti’s age verification technology, letting shoppers buy alcohol and other age restricted items, without intervention.

Customers can verify their age in two ways:

Individuals face the self-checkout’s built-in camera and in a matter of seconds, Yoti age detection technology will determine whether the person is over or under the required age limit for the product they wish to buy. This threshold is configurable by the retailer and is generally ten years above the legal limit.
Alternatively, customers can use the free Yoti app, which combines their ID document and biometrics, to create a digital identity. People scan a QR code on the self-checkout screen using the Yoti app and share their verified age attribute in seconds.

“Removing the friction of the shopping experience is a primary goal of all our innovations,” said Dusty Lutz, Vice President and General Manager of the NCR Store Transformation Solutions Group. “Integrating the Yoti technology will help reduce the amount of interventions for retailers, and at the same time, help improve the customer experience of self-checkouts.”

Robin Tombs, CEO and Co-Founder Yoti, explained “Waiting for age approval at self-checkouts is a source of frustration for many shoppers, who just want to get home as quickly as possible. Our integration with NCR delivers a frictionless and innovative way for customers to prove their age in seconds. It’s a simple process that helps retailers meet the requirements of regulators worldwide. Customers will spend less time at the self-checkout, and employees can assist with other tasks, improving the overall shopping experience.”