The Age Puzzle

How old are you?

In the last two years, the expansion of Cashierless technology has speeded up. In many retail chains all over the world, customers can experience this new seamless shopping experience. It usually runs like this: You scan your app and enter the shop. Pre-installed cameras tag you and track your every move, while AI edits your virtual basket along the way. After you finish your shopping, you can just walk out without further action.

But wait! What about the wine and the pack of cigarettes you just took? Did any employee verify your ID yet? The cameras are not supposed to link you to any of your personal information. How does a shop verify your ID without human intervention?

YOTI has the answer.

Who is YOTI?

YOTI was founded in 2014 in London. It developed a free app for shoppers to upload their ID on the phone, which is called a digital ID. It enables people to share their personal information and third-party credentials with businesses and individuals safely.

Till today, YOTI has more than 300 staff around the world. Over 11 million users have downloaded the YOTI app. It accepts ID documents from over 200 countries. YOTI is trusted by many governments and thousands of business partners. YOTI, that started as a digital identity platform, has now evolved into business solutions including identity verification, age estimation, e-signing, and AI anti-spoofing technologies.

How does YOTI work in the store?

YOTI integrates its solution with the store app or their self-checkout counter. It offers two solutions. One is facial age estimation. The other one is through the YOTI app.

Facial Age Estimation

When customers go through the self-checkout, they can simply look into the camera at the counter. YOTI will compare the facial scan against its AI-powered algorithm, analyze the facial image, and returns an accurate age estimation within seconds. Interested to see how that works on you? Then click here to try the demo on their site.

Age Verification by YOTI App

If you look way younger than your average age group, the facial age estimation might fail you. That’s why the YOTI app is always available as a choice at the same time.

Therefore, customers need to download the YOTI app. First, it will verify your phone number and make sure you are the one in control of the phone. Then a 5-digit PIN is required to set up. Afterwards, you need to initiate a 3D scan of your face to protect yourself from fraudsters. At last, you can add your personal details by scanning your ID documents. And you are good to go.

Age verification can be done through the store app or a self-checkout counter. In case of the latter one, shoppers can prove their age within seconds by using the YOTI app to scan a YOTI QR code displayed on the checkout-screen. The shopper is in control of which information is being revealed. In this case, only the date of birth and photo will be used.

Is it safe?

It is an obvious concern when an app has access to your ID, face, and other personal information. Is it safe to use YOTI?

The system of YOTI is architected using PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) technology, which means a user’s data can only be accessed by the user. Each detail the user adds to the digital ID is separated and individually encrypted. Only the user has the key to unlock any encrypted detail. The key is also encrypted and stored locally on the phone, not in the YOTI database.

When using the age estimation, a photo will be taken from the shopper. Once the estimation is done, the photo will be permanently deleted. It doesn’t require any registration or sharing of personal information.

YOTI has solved the puzzle of age identification. For grocery stores to offer customers a seamless shopping experience, YOTI is essential. But YOTI’s mission doesn’t stop there. With Cashierless technology now being implemented in many restaurants, it has also become the preferred tech solution to verify alcohol purchases. In the future, companies like YOTI will grow hand in hand with self-check-out tech companies by automating the shopping experience even further.