Co-op extends age estimation tech trial

Co-op has extended a trial of age estimation technology into four of its Manchester stores, stated reports on Thursday (16).

The small-scale trial now sees Co-op testing Vynamic Smart Visio in five of its Manchester stores including the store located within its Customer Support Centre where it first tested the technology last November.

The trial runs until the end of June and forms part of the Home Office Digital ID Sandbox which provides an opportunity for industry and retail to test innovative approaches to age estimation.

Co-op also believes that the technology could reduce abuse and anti-social behaviour towards retail workers as asking for ID can be a flashpoint for frustration for some shoppers and a trigger for the unacceptable levels of abuse and antisocial behaviour faced by frontline shopworkers.

James Beane, Co-op’s operations innovation and continuous improvement lead, explained that the technology is not facial recognition, and does not store or retain images. 

“The pilot forms part of trials aimed at further improving or enhancing compliance with the licensing objective to reduce the risk of under-age sales. Asking for ID can also be a flashpoint for frustration for some shoppers, and become a trigger for the unacceptable levels of abuse and anti-social behavior faced by frontline shop workers. 

“In addition, we envisage this could make shopping quicker, easier and more convenient for customers, especially at busier times.”

Diebold Nixdorf provided the solution by integrating Yoti’s Age Estimation technology into Vynamic Smart Vision I Age Verification. It initiates automated age estimation when an age-restricted item is scanned. An algorithm estimates the customer’s age in real time. 

If the system estimates the customer to be over 25, they will be able to proceed with the purchase without requiring a store worker to verify the transaction. If a customer’s age is estimated to be under 25, they will be prompted to show an ID to a member of staff. No customer information is stored in the system. Customers can also choose not to use the age estimation technology.