Yoti’s age verification, digital ID technologies chosen by StrongPoint, Volunteer Edinburgh

StrongPoint has chosen Yoti’s AI-powered age verification technology to deliver an automated, more productive retail experience, the company said.

An initial partnership between the two was signed in 2018. Since then, StrongPoint has improved its Click & Collect, tobacco dispensing and automated self-checkout processes by no longer relying on human intervention and ID checks.

Under the new contract, Yoti’s age verification will be rolled out in grocery stores equipped with self-checkouts, Click & Collect lockers and Vensafe dispensing machines. StrongPoint will leverage Yoti IDs and age estimation software to automate age-restricted purchases in stores. Future plans include scaling the self-serve solutions to other international retailers.

“Pushing the limits is always on our radar. For years working with self-service solutions and checkout efficiency, we clearly see the benefit and value Yoti’s platform is bringing to the automation of commerce processes,” said Julius Stulpinas, SVP StrongPoint Technology, in a prepared statement. “Today, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail community is facing a new key priority – to make shopping safer. Automated age verification on self-checkouts and Click & Collect lockers will enable to eliminate direct contact between store staff and customers, making the shopping journey safer and faster.”

Yoti’s product portfolio includes identity and age verification technology, document e-signing, access management and biometric authentication. Its consumer ID app counts more than 7 million downloads and has verified accounts over 190 countries. Yoti Age Scan uses anonymous age estimation technology to protect user privacy. The data is encrypted, so it cannot be viewed or sold to third parties, unless the user has given consent. It aligns to W3C standards for verifiable credentials, and does not track users.

“Our customer-centric technology improves the shopping experience, boosts compliance and improves staff safety,” said John Abbott, Chief Business Officer at Yoti, in a prepared statement. “Shoppers don’t need to sign up for the age estimation solution, or carry personal documents to the store – this means the time of store staff can be dedicated to providing higher-value services for customers and respect social distancing rules in the backdrop of COVID-19.”

Volunteer Edinburgh

Charity Volunteer Edinburgh is using Yoti’s biometric digital identity platform to issue digital ID cards for volunteers, writes DigIT.

This is part of Yoti’s commitment to support organizations involved in COVID-19 relief efforts. By supplying volunteers with digital IDs issued to their phones, the charity wants to protect people benefiting from its support and can easily expand efforts across the city. The platform can also be used to cancel IDs in real-time.

HIPAA, ISO27001 and SOC2 (type 2) compliance certify Yoti’s data controls and protections are legitimate.

By eliminating physical documents, volunteers can even share their card in an email or text, a measure which could reduce contagion, Yoti claims.

“Yoti’s contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic response has been invaluable. Their support for Volunteer Edinburgh has allowed us to augment our already robust onboarding process for volunteers and means we can deploy our volunteers with greater safety and security,” said Paul Wilson, Chief Officer at Volunteer Edinburgh, in a prepared statement.

“Being able to badge our authorized volunteers remotely and with such control is vital and gives the people we are supporting greater confidence in our volunteers and Volunteer Edinburgh.”

Yoti is also supporting Co-op, a consumer co-operative in the UK, by providing it with Yoti Doc Scan, identity verification technology embedded within the signup process to confirm applicants’ identity.

Meanwhile, Polish biotech company GeneMe released a mouth swab test for COVID-19 last month which shares results using Yoti biometric digital ID on phones. NHS England and NHS Improvement are using Yoti’s digital ID card solution for onboarding during the coronavirus crisis.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  retail biometrics  |  verifiable credentials  |  Yoti