Pricewatch Group is the latest forecourt operator to install technology that makes it easier for staff to turn down underage purchases and provides them with demographic information on their customers.
The Sussex-based family business says staff have welcomed the arrival of MyCheckr at two of its eight forecourts because it uses facial biometrics to judge whether a shopper is old enough to purchase tobacco, alcohol or lottery tickets, without having to ask every time for an ID.
The till-point technology uses algorithms to gauge the age of each customer and the screen lights up red or green depending on whether that person is deemed old enough to make an age-related purchase.
Judging a customer’s age can be fraught with problems, according to Pricewatch Group general manager Tom Buckley. “It is so subjective, but MyCheckr helps to take away the guesswork and removes the potential conflict when questioning a customer over their age,” says Buckley.
The equipment, which does not need an internet connection, is also GDPR compliant because it does not store the anonymous personal data or images, says its manufacturer and supplier Innovative Technology.
It is Challenge 25 approved and is recognised as an effective deterrent to under-age sales by trading standards officers nationwide, says the Manchester-based business.
“It’s a frictionless experience,” says Innovative Technology senior business development manager John Vallis. “It analyses and forgets customer information after making the age calculation.”
Another advantage is that the system is compatible with epos to provide retailers with analytics on what time of day customers of specific age groups and gender tend to shop in an outlet. This will allow retailers to adapt digital advertising and promotions to match buying habits by age, as well as gender, says Vallis.
“Epos says when an item has been sold, but unless a retailer runs a loyalty programme it does not say who is purchasing it, and that is the missing part of the puzzle,” he adds.
Currently MyCheckr is installed at hundreds of food retail sites across the UK, including four forecourts. Danyal Shoaib of Hylands Service Station was first to industry in petrol retailing with the equipment, followed by Tom Dant of Gill Marsh Forecourts, and then Pricewatch Group’s Wivelsfield and Storrington petrol stations in East and West Sussex.
Vallis expects hundreds of forecourts to be fitted with MyCheckr in the first quarter of next year. “We are getting lots of interest,” he says, with the standard iPad size equipment costing below £500 per till, and the mini version, smaller than a business card box, at £300, and no ongoing licence fee.
Buckley says for him the biggest benefit of MyCheckr is protecting employees. “Keeping staff happy is my main aim,” says Tom, “and if they can blame technology for refusing a sale it takes the onus away from them.”
However, he says, with the equipment not being totally fail-safe it should not be completely relied on to stamp out the problem of underage sales. He will continue to sign up to monthly spot checks from compliance testing business Serve Legal, in which under-age purchasers are sent to Pricewatch stores to make test purchases.
“MyCheckr has been really well received by staff, but we have to make sure that they don’t get complacent and rely 100% on it,” says Buckley. ”It should be used as a guide to aid judgment. I’m not convinced that if a case went to court it would stop us from losing our licence.”
